Author: nina hovnanian

TURKISH PRESIDENT GUL CONGRATULATES SARGSYAN FOR VICTORY

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Feb 20 2013

President Abdullah Gul has congratulated Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan after the latter scored a crushing victory in elections for
a second five-year mandate.

“According to the information received from the presidency, Gul sent a
message of congratulation to Sargsyan,” Anatolia news agency reported
yesterday, without giving any further detail.

The two leaders were key figures in the now-stalled rapprochement
process between the estranged neighbors. The process began with
Sargsyan’s invitation to Gul to an Armenia-Turkey World Cup qualifying
football match in Yerevan in 2008. The two countries have never had
diplomatic relations, and Ankara closed its border with Yerevan in
1993 because of its war with Azerbaijan over the disputed region of
Nagorno-Karabakh. In October 2009, Armenian and Turkish officials
initiated the protocols to normalize the relations between the two
countries. However, the protocols have not been ratified since then
and have faced immense criticism in both countries.

The protocols, which call for the establishment of diplomatic ties and
the reopening of the shared border, also called for a joint commission
to examine the two countries’ shared history.

February/20/2013

BLUE BOOK ON ARMENIAN ISSUE RE-SENT TO TURKISH DEPUTIES

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Feb 20 2013

A group of intellectuals have re-sent copies of Lord James Bryce and
Arnold Toynbee’s “Blue Book,” which relates the Ottoman-era Armenian
unrest in Turkey in 1915, to the Turkish Parliament’s 550 lawmakers
following a failed attempt to do so four years ago.

The group, which is sending the book to the deputies via the
state-controlled postal service PTT, is hoping to draw attention to
freedom of speech. “A ban on reading has reached schools,” said Ragıp
Zaraoklu, a publisher, at an Istanbul press meeting on the evening
of Feb. 19. Zarakolu made the comments in relation to several recent
attempts to bar some world classics and local works of literature
from schools’ reading lists.

Å~^ukru Elekdag, then-Parliamentary Speaker Köksal Toptan prevented
deliveries of the books four years ago when they were sent by cargo,
Zarakolu said.

“In a bid to point at a rising ban on books and [overcome what happened
four years ago], we find it meaningful to start efforts from this
point,” he said.

If the deputies cannot receive the books from the PTT, the group plans
to distribute them directly at the gate of the Parliament building.

The book was re-printed by the Gomidas Institute four years ago upon
the efforts of historian Ara Sarafyan, who was also present at the
Feb. 19 meeting.

Sociologist Ä°smail BeÅ~_ikci said the archives in Turkey would never
be trustable if the “denialist” policies on the issue continued.

“The Blue Book,” also known as “The treatment of Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire” is a compilation of statements by eyewitnesses from
other countries including Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden,
and Switzerland during 1915-1916.

The book has been criticized as British wartime propaganda to build
up sentiment against the Central Powers by some Western academics
and Turkish political parties.

GEORGIAN PRESIDENT GREETS ARMENIAN COUNTERPART ON RE-ELECTION

People’s Daily, China
Feb 20 2013

TBILISI, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) — Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili
on Wednesday congratulated his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan
on re-election.

In a telephone call, the Georgian president wished Sargsyan with
successes and well-being, and congratulated the Armenian people on
their democratic development.

Sargsyan, who collected 58.64 percent of the votes in Monday’s
election, has got several messages of congratulation.

Second in Armenian’s presidential vote is Raffi Hovannisian, who
served as the country’s first foreign minister between 1991 and 1992.

EU URGES ARMENIA TO REFORM ELECTORAL LAWS AFTER PRESIDENT RE-ELECTED

RTT News
Feb 20 2013

The European Union has called upon the Armenian authorities to
undertake an inclusive and transparent process of amendments to
the election-related legislation, in line with the OSCE/ODIHR’s
recommendations following the parliamentary elections of May 2012.

The call was made in a joint statement issued on Wednesday by EU
High Representative Catherine Ashton and EU Enlargement & European
Neighborhood Policy Commissioner Stefan Fule in the wake of the
preliminary results of the Armenian presidential elections.

Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) who monitored the polls blamed government partiality in favor
of the ruling party. At the same time, the mission concluded that
the election was generally well-administered and was characterized
by a respect for fundamental freedoms.

Ashton and Fule welcomed the conclusions of the Election Observation
Mission, as well as “further progress made by the Armenian authorities
in their efforts to hold the presidential elections in line with
international standards, notably through improved administration
of the electoral process, ensuring possibilities for candidates to
campaign freely and better quality of the voter lists.”

At the same time, the EU officials said they expected “a number of
outstanding concerns to be followed up appropriately in the future,
including reported instances of partiality by public servants, claims
of misuse of administrative resources, unclear interpretation of
campaign financing provisions and cases of pressure on voters.”

President Serge Sarkisian was re-elected as he won more than half
of the votes polled in Monday’s elections. His closest rival Raffi
Hovannisian had earlier alleged several electoral malpractices.

by RTT Staff Writer

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN WAITING FOR PRESIDENT ON LIBERTY SQUARE

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 20 2013

The leader of the Heritage Party, Raffi Hovannisian, said he would
not leave Liberty Square and will wait till tomorrow to meet with
Serzh Sargsyan, News.am reports.

The former presidential candidate is holding a rally on the square
in the center of Yerevan.

Taking into account the fact that Serzh Sargsyan did not accept
Hovannisian’s offer to discuss a transfer of power, the presidential
candidate said he would wait for the head of the state on the square
till Thursday.

SARGSYAN ELECTION CAMPAIGN COSTS $180,000 – ARMENIA’S CEC

Interfax, Russia
Feb 19 2013

Sargsyan election campaign costs $180,000 – Armenia’s CEC

The Armenian Central Election Commission (CEC) disclosed the amounts
of money spent by some presidential candidates on their election
campaigns in a preliminary report.

The document estimates the cost of Serzh Sargsyan’s election campaign
in the media at 43.260 million Armenian dram. It also says that the
incumbent president, who seeks re-election, spent 8 million dram on
outdoor advertising, and another 22 million dram on booklets and other
forms of print advertising, putting the overall size of Sargsyan’s
election campaign fund at 73.260 million dram, or $180,000.

Another presidential candidate, Heritage opposition party leader
Raffi Hovannisian, spent around $120,000 on his election campaign,
including 35.200 million Armenian dram on advertising in the media,
and 14 million dram on outdoor advertising.

The CEC report estimates the cost of Freedom opposition party leader
Grant Bagratyan’s election campaign at 5.760 million dram, or $14,150,
of which 3.760 million dram was spent on advertising in the media,
and another 2 million dram on outdoor advertising.

It was reported earlier that Armenia’s incumbent president and leader
of the Republican Party Serzh Sargsyan mustered 58% of the vote,
leaving his rivals behind, the Gallup Organization said after holding
exit polls at 122 polling stations.

Former foreign minister and leader of the Heritage opposition party
Raffi Hovannisian is in second place with 32% of the votes won,
the Gallup Organization said.

Leader of the Freedom opposition party Grant Bagratyan and leader of
the National Self-Determination Union Paruyr Hayrikyan, got 3% each.

Ex-Foreign Minister of Nagorno Karabakh Arman Melikian, political
analyst Andrias Gukasyan and scholar Vardan Sedrakian each got 1%.

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BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES ARMENIAN COUNTERPART ON RE-ELECTION

Belapan news agency, Minsk, Belarus
Feb 19 2013

Minsk, 19 February: Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has
congratulated Serzh Sargsyan on his re-election as president of
Armenia, reported the press office of the Belarusian leader.

“Your re-election for another term testifies to the high level of
voters’ trust and recognition of your services to the people of
Armenia,” Lukashenka said in his message, according to the press
office.

He also said he is confident that Sargsyan’s “activities in such a high
position will continue to be aimed at the comprehensive realization of
the significant potential of Belarusian-Armenian cooperation that is
rooted in historically friendly ties between our nations”, the press
office noted.

The 58-year-old Sargsyan reportedly won almost 59 per cent of the
vote on 18 February. His closest challenger, Raffi Hovannisian,
a US-born politician who was Armenia’s first foreign minister and
leads the Heritage Party, received nearly 37 per cent.

Many observers say that voters did not have any real choice in the
election after several of Sargsyan’s opponents withdrew and one of
the candidates, Paruyr Hayrikyan, was shot last month in a suspected
assassination attempt.

TURKEY SEES ‘BEGINNING OF CHANGE’ IN FRENCH STANCE ON EU BID

Agence France Presse
February 19, 2013 Tuesday 11:04 PM GMT

Turkey is seeing the “beginning of change” in France’s once hostile
attitude towards its decades-long struggle to join the European
Union under new President Francois Hollande, the country’s EU affairs
minister told AFP.

“It doesn’t make sense to block Turkey’s process,” Egemen Bagis said
in an interview before starting a visit to France on Tuesday. “We
have positive expectations from the Hollande government.”

Turkey’s efforts to join the 27-member bloc have stalled in recent
years, largely because of the long-running dispute with Cyprus and
fierce opposition from other EU member states including France.

Stumbling blocks include Turkey’s human rights record, its large Muslim
population and the eurozone debt crisis, which tested confidence in
the bloc’s own future.

Turkey, an associate member of the old European Economic Community
since 1963, first sought to become an EU member in 1987 but did not
launch formal accession talks until 2005.

Of the 35 so-called policy chapters EU candidates must negotiate,
Turkey has opened talks on only 13 and France has vetoed negotiations
on five.

But in a sign of an apparent change of heart under Hollande, Paris
said this month it would unblock talks with Turkey on the chapter
regarding regional aid.

Turkey and France have enjoyed close ties since the Ottoman Empire,
but relations cooled after right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy became
president in 2007 and raised objections to Turkey’s EU aspirations.

“Unfortunately, the attitude of Mr Sarkozy was illogical … but
I’m glad that the French people chose to send him fishing instead
of ruling the country, because it should take common sense to run
a country,” said Bagis, who is also Turkey’s chief negotiator and a
senior member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Ties between the NATO allies hit an all-time low after French
legislators passed a bill in 2011 making it a crime to deny that
the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I
constituted genocide.

Although the legislation was later declared invalid by France’s
constitutional court, it severely damaged business ties.

“People in this country stopped consuming Danone yoghurts just because
the name was French,” Bagis said.

Turkish companies were reluctant to get involved in joint ventures
because they felt that “being partners with a French company would
be a liability rather than an asset for them and they chose not to
become partners,” he added.

The public appetite for EU membership is waning among frustrated
Turks, but Bagis said he was confident the European Union could easily
reverse that sentiment.

“All Europe has to do is give Turkey an exact date for membership
and say if Turkey completes all the necessities, Turkey will become
a full member as of x date, then we would get the public support back
behind this process overnight,” he said.

Bagis said that despite its financial woes, the EU was still attractive
for Turkey — which has transformed its economy after a devastating
meltdown in 2001, with record growth rates exceeding 8.0 percent in
2010 and 2011.

“Turkey is determined to join this club, but when we join the club,
we will also help this club put itself in shape,” he said.

ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT BAKO SAHAKYAN ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARTSAKH NATIONAL-LIBERATION MOVEMENT

Wednesday, 20 February 2013 17:51

Respected compatriots, Dear people of Artsakh,

25 years ago this day proved to be pivotal for Artsakh and the
whole Armenian people. The entire nation stood with a peaceful and
legitimate demand corresponding to fundamental norms and principles of
international law to restore historical justice, defend our violated
dignity, rights and liberties.

Our nation’s struggle against foreign yoke, nearly seven decades of
persistent violence and oppression was at the very basis of the 1988
Movement. Despite all of that, the national-liberation outburst did
not cultivate national hatred and animosity towards the neighboring
nation. However, authorities of Azerbaijan responded to our civilized
demands and peaceful demonstrations by organizing massacres, exiles
and persecution. They once again tried to solve the Armenian issue
through already applied policy – genocide.

Nevertheless, this time their infernal intensions doomed to failure.

The whole Armenian nation consolidated for the sake of defending
Artsakh, the native country and people, its honor and reliable future.

At the cost of the best Armenian sons’ blood, due to their heroic
deeds and selflessness we succeeded in protecting our independence
and freedom as well as gave a worthy rebuff to the enemy establishing
peace and stability in the whole region. Eternal glory and honor to
all the martyrs!

Dear compatriots,

Valuating the 25-year long path we can say with honor and dignity
that realizing the ideas of the objective of 1988 Movement the
Armenian nation restored its statehood, and today due to the
Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora unshakable trinity it carves its own fate
independently, keeps inviolable the native country’s frontiers,
develops the land of ancestors and always maintains bright the
hearth fire.

All of us, the whole nation will do everything possible for continuous
strengthening of our independent statehood that has been reached
at such a high price. It is an exclusive value without which it is
impossible to think about the immortality and development of the
Fatherland and the native people.

Dear citizens of Artsakh,

On behalf of the republic’s authorities and personally myself I
congratulate you, all our sisters and brothers in Armenia and the
Diaspora on this great holiday. I wish all of you peace, robust health
and great success.

Stepanakert, February 20, 2013.

A NUMBER OF ARMENIAN MONUMENTS MAY BE INCLUDED IN UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST

ARMINFO
Wednesday, February 20, 16:27

Armenia is going to apply to UNESCO to include several Armenian
monuments in the World Heritage List, Armenian Culture Minister Hasmik
Poghosyan told ArmInfo.

However, the minister failed to specify the monuments and said that
the list is not approved finally yet. In addition, UNESCO experts will
visit Armenia to study the monuments on the spot. Poghosyan recalled
the case with Noravank Monastery. Several years ago UNESCO refused to
consider the application on including Noravank in the World Heritage
List because of the restaurant adjacent to the monastery.

The final package of applications, which will also include the Blue
Mosque in Yerevan, will be submitted to UNESCO by late 2013.

To note, Geghard Monastery, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Zvartnots,
Haghpat and Sanahin Monasteries are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Armenian national epic “David of Sassoun”, art of khachkars
(cross-stones) and music of duduk are on the list of intangible
cultural heritage.