Author: nina hovnanian

AHMET DAVUTOGLU: “THE MAIN CONDITION FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PEACE IN THE CAUCASUS REGION IS THE LIBERATION OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH”

MilAz.info, Azerbaijan
July 17 2013

13:49 17-07-2013

The next meeting of Azerbaijan-Turkey High-Level Strategic Cooperation
Council will be held in November

“Azerbaijani and Turkish officials continue regular contacts. Turkish
Foreign Minister visited Baku last month and is on a visit to our
country today. Summit of Turkic-speaking countries will be held in
Azerbaijan next month and we want to see Ahmet Davutoglu in Baku
again,” Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at
the joint briefing with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu,
APA reports.

Mammadyarov said that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was discussed at
the meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister: “Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project
was also discussed. This project is one of the routes for withdrawal
of coalition forces from Afghanistan. We touched on the importance
of close cooperation in the energy sector.”

Addressing the briefing Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said
the next meeting of Azerbaijan-Turkey High-Level Strategic Cooperation
Council will be held in November.

“Baku and Ankara are the capitals playing the leading role in the
Eurasian region. We hope peace will be established in the Caucasus
in the near future. The major condition for this is the liberation
of Nagorno Karabakh. These two countries are also supporting each
other in the international arena,” he said.

Ahmet Davutoglu said culture centers of both countries will be opened
in Turkey and Azerbaijan.

ARMENIAN FEST: TASTE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN

Express Milwaukee, WI
July 17 2013

Kebobs, hummus and more
By Susan Harpt Grimes

Milwaukee is a Midwest melting pot. As such, our city does a great
job in celebrating the many ethnicities and religious backgrounds of
the people who live here. Everybody knows about the large lakefront
festivals highlighting Milwaukee’s biggest immigrant populations. But
what about the smaller groups? This year, consider checking out one
of the more intimate gatherings, like Armenian Fest.

Armenia was once a much larger country than its contemporary borders
indicate, stretching from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. Nestled
now in a mountainous region, modern Armenia is partly surrounded by
Iran and Turkey. After a horrific early-1900s genocide of Armenians,
many survivors landed in Milwaukee, joining family and friends who
immigrated here in the preceding years.

In the 1930s the local Armenian population began to hold an annual
picnic to celebrate the food and music that make up their cultural
heritage. Armenian Fest, as it’s called today, has grown significantly
over the years and is now held on the grounds of St. John the Baptist
Armenian Orthodox Church in Greenfield.

This year’s festival will feature some familiar foods like chicken
and beef kebobs and some unfamiliar dishes such as Armenian “pizza”
called lahmajoon, or boreg, thin layers of dough filled with cheese
and spinach, then baked until golden brown. After finishing the
savory treats, loads of homemade pastries and cookies will satisfy
sweet cravings.

Live music and dancing throughout the day will bring the Armenian
culture to life. For those who want to learn more about Armenia,
visit the cultural booth showcasing artifacts and books about this
civilization that dates back to the time of Mesopotamia.

Armenian Fest 2013 will be held Sunday, July 21, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at
7825 W. Layton Ave. Admission and parking are free.

For more information, visit armenianfest.com.

Hummus

Eaten throughout the eastern Mediterranean and Near Eastern countries,
hummus is also considered an Armenian dish. Simple and inexpensive
ingredients yield a flavorful, filling food. A member of Milwaukee’s
Armenian community, Diana Keutelian, shares her authentic recipe for
this popular dish available at Armenian Fest.

Ingredients:

1 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well

2 tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste)

1/2 to 1 tbsp. lemon juice (as desired)

2 or 3 cloves garlic, peeled (as desired)

Dash of salt

Preparation:

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.

2. Puree until you reach a dip consistency. If it requires more liquid,
add water by the tablespoon and/or lemon juice (to taste) as needed.

3. Spread the hummus on a platter or in a bowl, and decorate it
sparingly with chopped parsley and paprika. You may drizzle a teaspoon
of olive oil if desired.

4. Serve with quartered pita bread and a side dish of sliced tomatoes,
cucumbers, green peppers and green or black olives.

REPRESENTATIVE OF FRIEDRICH EBERT FOUNDATION READY TO DEEPEN COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA

17:10, 17 July, 2013

YEREVAN, JULY 17, ARMENPRESS: The Chairman of the National Assembly
Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Artak Zakaryan met with Julia
Blasius, the Director of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung / Foundation Regional
Office for South Caucasus. Naira Gevorgyan, the Head of the Armenian
Office of the Foundation was also attending the meeting. As Armenpress
was reported by the Department for Mass Media and Public Relations of
the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, in the course of the
meeting the role of the Armenian Parliament was highlighted in the
foreign policy, especially on the path of the European integration,
in the problems of the Eastern Partnership and in the sphere of the
development of the Armenian-Russian relations.

Touching upon the regional problems the interlocutors discussed
the perspectives of possible regional cooperation, especially
between the parliaments of the regional countries, talked about
the Armenian-Turkish, Armenian-Azerbaijani, Armenian-Iranian and
Armenian-Georgian relations.

Julia Blasius, the Director of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung / Foundation
Regional Office for South Caucasus expressed readiness to continue
and deepen the cooperation.

In the course of the meeting an agreement was reached to hold joint
parliamentary hearings between the Foundation and the Committee.

Other issues of the further cooperation of the Foundation and Committee
were also discussed.

USAID TO GRANT ARMENIA $3.7 MILLION TO FINANCE FINANCE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

YEREVAN, July 17. /ARKA/. United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) will provide Armenia with $3.7 million to finance
a four-year “Finance for Economic Development” (FED) program designed
to raise the availability of financial resources to the real sector.

USAID Mission chief to Armenia, Karen Hilliard, said at the
presentation of the program that it aims at development and
introduction of financial mechanisms that will reduce lending and
investment risks for small and medium-sized enterprises, especially
in rural areas.

She said the program will help improve the regulatory and institutional
environment and boos the stability of the financial institutions
ahead of enforcement of pension reform.

Deputy economy minister Karine Minasyan said the tasks and objectives
of the program are in tune with the government program to improve
the availability of financial resources.

FED program is designed to stimulate development of the financial
sector of Armenia. The program will expand banks’ and lending
organizations possibilities of financing, as well as ensure the
development of debt and equity instruments in the capital markets
through investment funds, diversification and reduction of investment
risks. -0-

– See more at:

WE’LL DO EVERYTHING SO THAT OTHER AUSTRALIAN STATE PARLIAMENTS ALSO RECOGNIZE KARABAKH – NEW SOUTH WALES MP

July 17, 2013 | 14:47

STEPANAKERT. – The parliament of the Australian state of New South
Wales (NSW) is the first in the country to pass a resolution on the
recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh, and we will do everything so that
the parliaments of the country’s other states likewise adopt such
resolutions.

Jonathan O’Dea, Head of the NSW Australian-Armenian Parliamentary
Friendship Group, stated the aforesaid, on Wednesday in the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) capital city Stepanakert, during a
talk with Speaker Ashot Ghulyan of NKR National Assembly (NA).

In O’Dea’s words, everything needs to be done so that the other
Australian states also petition with a resolution to the country’s
central authorities, calling upon them to recognize the right to
self-determination of the people of NKR.

Underscoring the peoples’ right to freedom and independence, Ghulyan
noted that solely those persons and governing bodies that accurately
recognize democratic standards can take such commendable step, the
NKR NA press service informs. Expressing a hope that a long-term
partnership is expected between the two parliaments, Ashot Ghulyan
said the program on mutual contacts and cooperation will be brought
to life in a foreseeable future.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

PUBLIC TRANSPORT FARES TO INCREASE NO MORE THAN 50 PERCENT, SAYS OFFICIAL

11:41 17/07/2013 ” ECONOMY

Head of the Transport Department of Yerevan Municipality Henrik
Navasardyan says calculations and discussions are in progress regarding
public transport fares.

There will be televised discussions, a meeting with journalists will
take place at the Municipality in the coming days, during which some
issues will be clarified, the official told Panorama.am.

Asked how much the increase is expected to be, Navasardyan replied,
“In any case, the fares will increase no more than 50 percent.”

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIA MAY BECOME A TRANSIT COUNTRY FOR IRANIAN GAS

Six international mediators are waiting for the imminent appointment
of the new representative of Tehran to the negotiation on the Iranian
nuclear program, said the head of European Union diplomacy Catherine
Ashton.

With the election of Hassan Rouhani president of Iran, talks about
possible mitigation of the West’s position with regards to Iran have
become more often. Moreover, behind the scenes of big politics people
are already talking about the likelihood of laying new pipes, use of
the gas potential of Iran and, consequently, a change in emphasis in
the Greater Middle East.

Armenia and Karabakh, which border with Iran, may become not only
intermediaries in normalization of relations, but also they may
be in the heart of new international projects. In this regard,
yesterday a remarkable event took place: in Vayots Dzor (Armenia)
Armenian, Georgian, Greek and Turkish members of the project Black
Silk (BSSRC) announced the launch of a sub-regional project. BSSRC
is a joint project of NGOs, the purpose of which is to create a
3,000-mile hiking trail that will connect the Greek Thessaloniki with
the Armenian Meghri. Megri, recall, is at the border with Iran. The
project was welcomed by the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern,
the head of the EU mission in Armenia Traian Hristea, ambassadors of
Georgia, Greece, Italy and China.

On the same day, the meeting of the Chambers of Commerce of Iran and
Armenia was held in Yerevan. Armenian businessmen were proposed to
use the Iranian free trade zone Aras bordering with Meghri.

Armenian-Iranian relations, despite the declared positive, are
developing very weak. This may be due to fear of the Armenian
government to be accused of violating the sanctions of the West. But
it is possible that the Armenian-Iranian relations are torpedoed by
Russia, which won’t benefit from the opening of the region and laying
new pipes.

Recently the route of the Azerbaijani gas to reach Europe from the
Shah Deniz was defined – via Turkey and Greece. However, part of the
route has not been determined, as well as additional sources of gas.

Experts do not rule out the inclusion of Armenia in the route through
which the Iranian gas will also be used. And, apparently, Moscow
desperately resists.

Armenia should decide whether it is ready to become a transit country
for Iranian gas to Europe, or in general it is ready to launch closer
relations with Iran.

Naira Hayrumyan 15:44 17/07/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

MORE THAN 50 ARMENIAN WEBSITES BROKEN BY AZERBAIJANI HACKERS

YEREVAN, July 17. /ARKA/

Azerbaijani hackers broke more than 50 Armenian websites Tuesday night,
Samvel Martirosyan, an information safety specialist, told ARKA News
Agency on Wednesday.

“There were quite important websites among them,” he said.

In his words, websites of Shant TV Company, Spyur information guide,
the National Assembly and Delovoy Express newspaper as well as
Sport.am, Meteo-tv.am, Banker.am, Yerevannews.am etc. were broken
this night.

The expert thinks that hackers managed to break these websites,
since they found some flaws at these websites. Remarkable is that
many of the hacked websites had been developed by one company.

“The attacks are though to be continued,” Martirosyan said. —0—

– See more at:

FROM GREEK THESSALONICA TO ARMENIAN MEGHRI: BLACK SEA SILK ROAD CORRIDOR PROJECT LAUNCHED

17:21 16.07.2013
Black Sea Silk Road Corridor

The Armenian, Georgian, Greek, and Turkish partners of the Black
Sea Silk Road Corridor (BSSRC) Project celebrated the official
trans-regional launch of the project at Noravank Monastery in Vayots
Dzor, Armenia on July 16.

BSSRC is a joint-project between NGO partners in Georgia, Greece,
Turkey, and Armenia to create a 3000 kilometer-long tourist trail
stretching from Thessalonica, Greece to Meghri, Armenia. The project
will also fund the development of applications for iPhones, iPads,
Android and Windows smart phones and tablets.

The Project is funded by the EU office through its Black Sea Basin
Joint Operational Programme, with co-financing for Armenia from
the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through its
Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC) project.

U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern, Head of the EU Delegation
to Armenia Traian Hristea, Ambassadors of Greece, Georgia, Italy and
China, and representatives from the Armenian Ministries of Culture,
Economy, Transport and Communication, as well as the Holy See
Etchmiadzin delivered remarks during the event.

Participants watched performances from the Areni and ShatinVillage
dancers and musicians, took part in a bread and salt ceremony with
local villagers, toured the monastery complex, and visited a local
winery.

“BSSRC is yet another chance to promote the Armenian civilization as
part of the world’s cultural heritage. This project opens a cultural
exchange with neighboring countries, which will also increase the
competitiveness of the tourism industry and positively affect the
quality of infrastructures and services. This project will enhance the
significance of Armenia as a tourism destination, which is an important
precondition for the sustainable development of the Armenian tourism
industry,” noted Armenian Travel Bureau Head Hovhannes Margaryan.

“The Silk Road was an important trade route in history, and this
historic destination contributed to the development of various
countries. Today we are trying to revive the Silk Road Corridor as
a tourism destination and a hidden treasure,” noted Firat Polat,
Deputy President of the Economists’ Association from Turkey.

According to the Greek partner representative, Pyrrhus Mercouris, the
new mobile phone technologies will allow visitors to access information
and data about interesting places to visit and information on tourist
services. This online system will be presented to tour agencies and
tourism professionals, particularly focusing on how historic monuments
and eco-sites are linked and displayed through GPS and on the mobile
phone application, and how they can use the trail to promote tourism
packages and thus make local attractions more accessible to tourists.

“This project links Georgia with Silk Road trails in Armenia,
Turkey, and Greece, which is important in encouraging cross border
communication and people-to-people understanding of the diverse
cultures located along the Silk Road Corridor,” noted Simon Kopadze,
Director of “Tadzreli” Foundation in Georgia.

LA COMMUNAUTE KURDE PROTESTE CONTRE LA FERMETURE DE ROJ TV

Publie le : 17-07-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
propose cet article publie sur le site Actukurde le 15 juillet 2013.

Actukurde

2013-07-15 10:31:47

Choquee par la fermeture de trois chaines de televisions kurdes,
la communaute kurde de Strasbourg demande aux autorites danoises de
” remedier a cette injustice en annulant l’arret du tribunal de
Copenhague “.

Dans une lettre adressee au ministre des Affaires Etrangères
de Danemark et aux autorites competentes, la communaute kurde de
Strasbourg se dit ” choquee” et ” consternee ” par l’arret rendu le
3 juillet par le tribunal de Copenhague a l’egard des televisions
kurdes : NUCE TV, MMC TV, ROJ TV, estimant qu’elles avaient soutenu
les activites du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK).

Rappelant que tout le fondement de cet arret est base sur le fait que
le PKK est sur la liste des organisations ” terroristes ” de l’union
europeenne (EU), la communaute kurde attire l’attention sur le moment
choisi pour fermer les chaines de televisions kurdes qui sont la voix,
les yeux et les oreilles du peuple kurde.

” -Selon la jurisprudence de la cour de justice europeenne (a
Luxembourg) cette liste de l’Union Europeenne a pleins de defauts
sur le plan juridique puisque lors de la constitution de cette liste
ni les organisations ni les personnes se trouvant sur cette liste
n’avaient aucun moyen de contester ce fait et de plus il n’existe
pas de mecanisme juridique pour en sortir.

-Nous vous rappelons que cette liste etait preparee par le gouvernement
W Bush au moment où l’Amerique etait sous le choc de l’attaque du 11
Septembre 2001. Pour preparer l’attaque contre l’Irak, l’Afghanistan
le pentagone avait besoin des soutiens de l’Espagne de Aznar qui
presidait l’UE et le gouvernement turc, l’important allie de l’OTAN.

Le gouvernement Aznar a glisse l’ETA sur la liste et le gouvernement
d’Ankara a quant a lui glisse le PKK sur cette meme liste dans l’esprit
de donnant donnant.

Voila comment le PKK qui a retire ses guerilleros entre 2000 et 2005
s’est retrouve sur cette fameuse liste.

-Et maintenant au moment où il y a des negociations entre les
representants du PKK et l’etat turc et le gouvernement pour trouver
une solution pacifique et politique a la question kurde qui perdure
depuis la creation de la Republique turque en 1923 le tribunal de
Copenhague frappe avec sa decision les medias kurdes. Ce processus
de negociations etait salue par l’UE, les Etats-Unis et notamment
l’APCE qui a adopte le 24 Avril2013 une très large resolution sur le
sujet qui considère les guerilleros du PKK pas comme ” terroristes ”
mais comme ” activistes “et qui ne considère pas Mr Abdullah Ocalan
comme le responsable d’une organisation terroriste mais comme ”
lieder du PKK ” et comme interlocuteur a considerer comme tel.

-Sachant que la resolution de l’APCE etait approuvee par la grande
majorite des parlementaires y compris la totalite de la delegation
danoise pour encourager ces negociations entre le lieder du PKK et
Ankara, ainsi l’APCE ne stigmatisait pas les parties en conflit.

-Dans une periode si sensible pour trouver une solution a la
question kurde qui peut contribuer a la paix et la stabilite au Moyen
Orient l’attitude des autorites danoises doit etre constructive et
encourageante pour les parties en conflit sans infliger une etiquette
terroriste, sans infliger des amendes considerables et sans retirer les
licences d’emettre contre les televisions kurdes : NUCE TV, MMC TV,
ROJ TV qui sont de simples messagers de la situation au Kurdistan et
en Turquie et de la region au Moyen Orient.

-Nous vous rappelons que la haute autorite de L’audiovisuel danois
malgre les pressions qu’elle a subies, n’a jamais considere les
televisions kurdes hors normes par rapport au respect des medias.

Nous demandons aux autorites competentes de remedier a cette injustice
en annulant l’arret du tribunal de Copenhague. ”

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Actukurde