Author: nina hovnanian

HAK MPS VISIT RAFFI HOVANNISIAN IN FREEDOM SQUARE

11:18 AM | TODAY | POLITICS

Levon Zurabyan and Aram Manukyan, lawmakers of the opposition
Armenian National Congress (HAK) visited Heritage party leader Raffi
Hovannisian, who has been hunger striking in Yerevan’s Freedom square
for three days.

Hovannisian went on hunger strike on March 10 calling for a rerun of
February’s presidential election which, he says, was rigged in favor
of Serzh Sargsyan.

On Monday Serzh Sargsyan said through his spokesman that Raffi
Hovannisian had rejected an offer to meet him again and discuss the
ongoing post-election standoff in Armenia. Hovannisian later denied
the claims saying he had not received any offer from the presidential
palace. He said that he still expected Serzh Sargsyan to visit him
in the coming days in Freedom square and offer a solution to end the
current ‘all-national’ crisis.

ARMENIA IS IMPORTANT REGIONAL PLAYER – NEWSPAPER

NEWS.AM
March 13, 2013 | 07:59

YEREVAN. – Simon Fraser, the Permanent Under Secretary and Head of
the Diplomatic Service at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, gave
an exclusive interview to Aravot daily, during which he specifically
said as follows:

‘”I support Armenia’s efforts to try to establish relations with
the EU. I believe you have had serious progress, and I hope you will
achieve further progress until November, the [Eastern Partnership]
summit to be held in [the Lithuanian capital,] Vilnius. I also hope
that all this will contribute to the implementation of additional
economic reforms in Armenia.’

Reflecting on the question whether European Union or Eurasian Union,
Fraser noted:

‘I believe Armenia truly wants to have stronger relations with the EU.

But Armenia has very strong ties with Russia. Independent states
themselves must decide what kind of relations they prefer. [But] in
this case, the most important is the EU market, which has 50 million
consumers at present.’

The diplomat also noted that Armenia is an important player in several
regional problems, first and foremost, in terms of the settlement of
the NK [Nagorno-Karabakh] conflict.

‘It is apparent that mutual accord, compromise is indispensable for
the settlement of the problem and, of course, it is the OSCE Minsk
Group’s task to find the key to compromise,'” Aravot quotes.

STANDOFF OVER NAGORNO-KARABAKH REGION REMAINS A POTENTIAL FLASHPOINT – US INTELLIGENCE CHIEF

NEWS.AM
March 13, 2013 | 14:06

The standoff between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh
region remains a potential flashpoint, says the report issued by
director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

“The standoff between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Armenian-occupied
Nagorno-Karabakh region remains a potential flashpoint. Heightened
rhetoric, distrust on both sides, and recurring violence along the
Line of Contact increase the risk of miscalculations that could
escalate the situation with little warning,” the report says.

As regards Georgia, the report mentions that the victory of Prime
Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream party in the October
2012 parliamentary elections, offer new hope for easing bilateral
Russian-Georgian tensions.

“However, after nearly a decade of President Mikheil Saakashvili’s
United National Movement party rule, Georgia faces a challenging
political transition and an increased risk of domestic political
instability,” the report says.

TURKISH MINISTER BAGIS BACKPEDALS ON ASSYRIAN GENOCIDE ‘MASTURBATION’ COMMENT

TERT.AM
13.03.13

Turkey EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bagis has apparently backing off
from comments he made to a female Swedish Parliament member comparing
the Assyrian Genocide to “masturbation,” reported Today’s Zaman.

Bagis, who is a notorious Genocide denier, was attending an event
organized by several Assyrian organizations in the Swedish capital
earlier this year, when he turned to Swedish member of parliament
Yilmaz Gerimo and said: “What are you Assyrians looking to gain by
using the Seyfo question as masturbation and trumpeted it in the
media and the Swedish Parliament?”

According to reporter Dikran Ego, who first reported the incident,
Bagis himself broke the uncomfortable silence that ensued, by
apologizing to Turkish Ambassador to Sweden Zergun Koruturk, saying
that perhaps his remarks were inappropriate to say in the presence
of a woman–the Swedish parliament member, Gerimo. Assyrian groups
in Sweden were greatly offended by the remark.

On Monday though, BagıÅ~_, who is back is Sweden accompanying Turkish
President Abdullah Gul, said he had not meant to hurt anyone and
was ready to apologize if he had. Although the statement was short
of an apology as he insisted that he did not remember making such
a reference, it was still seen as a sign of regret, Asbarez reports
citing Today’s Zaman.

Assyrian Federation of Sweden (SRF) Chairman Kenan Anter said his
organization remained upset over Basıs’s remarks.

“Firstly, he did not apologize; he only said that he was ready to
apologize if he had offended someone, implying that we, the seven
or eight [Assyrian] representatives who did not walk out of that
meeting [in January] out of respect for him and the ambassador, are
liars. He could have at least not denied having said so,” Anter said,
adding that he was finding it hard to understand why anyone would
risk undermining the trust at a time when dialogue between Sweden’s
sizeable Assyrian community and Turkey is going well.

Another SRF leader Afram Yakoub told Today’s Zaman that he was aware
that the minister did not offer a full apology but noted that it would
have been unthinkable for a Turkish minister even a few years ago to
even offer “something which sounds like an apology” to a Christian
minority.

8TH ARMENIAN MUSIC AWARDS DUE APRIL 20

March 12, 2013 – 12:10 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Moscow will host the 8th Armenian Music Awards on
April 20.

The ceremony featured performances by famous cultural workers and show
business representatives in the past years, with legendary French
actor Alain Delon, American singer Cher, renowned Armenian musician
and composer Djivan Gasparyan, singer Tata Simonyan, Sirusho, Russian
singer Iosif Kobzon and Spanish singer Julio Iglesias among them.

IRANIAN ENVOY: GOODS TURNOVER BETWEEN IRAN AND ARMENIA SHOULD BE INCREASED BEYOND $1BN

10:05 12/03/2013 ” Interviews

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be resolved through peaceful
negotiations, in keeping with the international norms, Iranian
Ambassador to Armenia Mohammad Raiesi told Iran’s Mehr news agency
in an interview.

“Armenia and Iran have centuries-old friendly relations based on good
neighborhood and mutual respect. Many mutual visits between senior
officials took place last year. The friendly relations between the two
countries, the will of their leaders as well as the similarity of their
positions on international and regional issues played an important role
for the development of the bilateral relations,” Mohammad Raiesi said.

Armenian-Iranian relations have bright future aimed at establishment
of stability and peace in the region, Mohammad Raiesi said.

Referring to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Iranian envoy said,
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always stood for peaceful resolution
of disputes and conflicts between the regional countries. Iran thinks
that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be resolved through peaceful
negotiations, in keeping with the international norms.”

Commenting on the economic relations between Iran and Armenia, the
Iranian envoy said that last year goods turnover between Iran and
Armenia totaled about $340m. According to him, the current level of
goods turnover is not sufficient, so the leaders of the two countries
aim to increase it beyond $1bn.

NKR CONTINUES STRENGTHENING ITS BORDERS

14:05 – 12.03.2013

Russian journalist Stanislav Moudrin wrote an article about the
situation in Karabakh-Azerbaijani border, after being there himself.

The journalist, first of all, thanked NKR MFA and military servicemen
of Artakh for letting him in the front line.

“There is a mined land and Azerbaijani land”, said the journalist and
added that he was not allowed to go any further for the sake of his
own security, however he was able to take his head out of the trench.

“The azeri that was looking at me from binocular, thorn wires,
stretching hundreds of meters and the signs warning of mines, made
me realize that all this is very serious. I was not afraid. My civil
cloths prompted the soldiers standing in the opposite border that I was
not a recruit. As we all know, Azerbaijan does not allow International
observers, including OSCE MG cross its defensive line.

NKR citizens are the opposite, they accept everyone. The thing is
that war is still ongoing. Time after time azeri snipers open fire
towards careless soldiers, because of which innocent citizens die. And,
naturally, azerbaijani side does not want the International observers
see that”, he wrote.

In his article, russian journalist wrote about defense point and
pointed out the items, worship place and added that soldiers do not
remain hungry there. Pomegranate juice, candies, biscuits, preserves
and all that the journalist saw.

Stanislav Mudri noted that term soldiers serve 2 years in the army and
“go there with pleasure, as it is a national pride”.

In the end of the article, the journalist wrote:

“Azerbaijan announces about its lost lands every month, when Karabakh’s
people continue strengthening their borders and make a new generation
of soldiers every day. One of the sides is living with invasive
ambitions, while the other side lives to create a new life.

The new idea of invasion is possible to grant peace in this land,
however it will be better off without war: Karabakh is too amiable
and beautiful land for war”.

CITY OF ANI ATTRACTS MORE VISITORS

Hurriyet, Turkey
March 12 2013

KARS – Anatolia News Agency

The ancient Armenian city of Ani in the eastern province of Kars
continues to attract more tourists each year. In 2012, a total of
43,657 people visited the site close to a third of the visitors are
from foreign countries, according to tourism officials. Experts expect
to see more visitors in 2013

Dubbed ‘City of 1,001 Churches,’ Ani stood on various trade routes,
and its many religious buildings and fortifications were among the
most technically and artistically advanced structures in the world at
the time, according to specialists. AA photo Tourists are beating an
evermore well-worn path to Ani, an ancient Armenian city in the eastern
province of Kars that has long been regarded as one of Turkey’s most
impressive tourist sites, according to newly released tourist numbers.

Some 43,657 visitors went to the ancient city in 2012, a rise over
the figure of 23,400 for the previous year. Close to a third of the
visitors are from foreign countries, according to tourism officials.

Speaking to Anatolia news agency, Kars Culture and Tourism Manager
Hakan Doganay said there were a total of 21 main cultural treasures
in Ani. “In fact, we call Ani an iceberg because we know there is a
lot to discover and excavate at Ani.”

Experts know that Ani was a trade center in the past, said Doganay,
adding that the ancient city was a cultural mosaic. The cultural
manager further said that if excavations were completed at the site,
it could become one of the country’s leading tourism sites.

The planned excavation work will involve creating a detailed map of
the site, which was once the center of a powerful Armenian empire and
possessed a population of between 100,000 and 200,000 over a millennium
ago, making it one of the biggest cities in the world at the time.

Ani was once the capital of a medieval Armenian kingdom that covered
much of present-day Armenia and eastern Turkey. Ani is protected on
its eastern side by a ravine formed by the Akhurian River and on its
western side by the Bostanlar or Tzaghkotzadzor Balley. The Akhurian
is a branch of the Aras River and forms part of the current border
between Turkey and Armenia.

City of churches

Dubbed the “City of 1,001 Churches,” Ani stood on various trade routes,
and its many religious buildings, palaces, and fortifications were
among the most technically and artistically advanced structures in
the world at the time, according to specialists.

The site occupied 78 hectares of land and was surrounded by
4,500-meter-long ramparts. In addition to its numerous churches, the
site also features the remains of an inn, a public bath, one of the
first mosques in Anatolia and other buildings. The site was located
on the historic Silk Road and formed the first gate connecting the
Caucasus to Anatolia before a sea route was discovered. “[The city]
declined in importance after [sea routes gained prominence]. And
it was destroyed by periodic earthquakes. Between 1965 and 1966, a
professor named Kemal Balkan launched the first excavation work on the
Ani ruins. Then between 1989 and 2005, excavation and cleaning works
were done. Between 2005 and 2009, the excavation work was halted,”
Doganay said. Ani was placed on the World Cultural Heritage List
thanks to an application by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, he said,
adding that it was an integral part of the region. “Ani is a city of
universal religions. We call it a world city since people from all
nations, cultures, and races live there,” he said. “It is essential
to bring this world city to light and give it to the world as soon
as possible. Our work is ongoing in a planned and systematic way.”

March/12/2013

IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA: “TEHRAN IS READY TO HELP RESOLVE THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH ISSUE”

APA, Azerbaijan
March 12 2013

Baku. Konul Jafarli – APA. The Iranian ambassador to Armenia has
reiterated that the Islamic Republic is ready to help resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue, which has dragged on since ethnic Armenian
forces took control of the region during a war in the early 1990s,
through diplomatic channels, APA reports quoting Tehran Times.

“If the countries involved in the dispute make a request, the
Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to help resolve it peacefully,”
said Ambassador Mohammad Raeesi.

Noting deep-rooted historical relations between Iran and Armenia,
the Ambassador said the respect is the basic principle in mutual
relations: “Iran attaches importance to the development of ties
with the neighboring and regional countries. Iran is in favor of
mutual respect in regional and international issues. Development of
relations between Iran and Armenia will benefit both countries. The two
countries want to develop bilateral relations without the intervention
of other states.”

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO KREMLIN MORE IMPORTANT THAN INAUGURATION

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
March 12 2013

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan re-elected on February 18 will
visit Moscow before inauguration. Sergey Mikheyev, Director of the
Center for Political Conjuncture, said that it may be an attempt to
gain high recognition, although he had no major political opponents.

Concerning the issues they will discuss, the expert said that they
will be traditional, including economic cooperation, integration.

Armenia has discussed its membership in the Customs Union, but it would
be complicated without direct ground connection. Security issues are
likely to be discussed, Mikheyev believes.

The analyst reminded that the Nagorno-Karabakh problem was appearing
in any topics. Moscow wants peaceful talks without any hasty actions.

The Russian expert noted that the problem of Khojaly Airport had
nothing to do with Russia at all. Russia should avoid interference
in the problem, he assumes.

Boris Dolgov, senior science member of the Institute for Oriental
Studies of the TAS, told Vestnik Kavkaza that the visit of Sargsyan
to Moscow will be an essential step in relations of Armenia and Russia.

The expert believes that they will discuss economic, political and
cultural relations.

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