Author: nina hovnanian

The Atlantic: Turkey’s and Armenia’s war over food

17:13 19.01.2013

There is perhaps nothing more closely bound up with one’s national
identity than food. Specific local dishes are often seen as the
embodiment of various cultures and many nations promote their food as
a celebration of national identity. Sometimes, however, a country’s
cuisine can also be used to highlight national rivalries, The Atlantic
writes.

In the volatile Caucasus region, it seems that such food fights have
now been taken to a whole new level. The Atlantic writes, quoting
Eurasianet.org, that many Armenians are up in arms about a recent
UNESCO decision to add the Anatolian stew ‘Keshkek’ to its Intangible
Cultural Heritage List on behalf of Turkey. They claim that `Keshkek’
is actually an Armenian meal called `Harissa.’

Now a group of ethnographers from Armenia are actually compiling
information on the dish to appeal the ruling by the UN’s cultural
agency.

Armenia, meanwhile, has itself come under fire from Azerbaijan, which
has accused its neighbor and regional nemesis of `cuisine plagiarism.’
Baku’s National Security Ministry has even set up a National Cuisine
Center to reinforce its claim to the nation’s cuisine and, in
particular, to help counter any Armenian efforts to appropriate what
it feels are Azerbaijani dishes.

The ‘Tolma’ dish, which consists of meatballs wrapped in grape leaves,
seems to be a particular bone of contention between the two countries,
especially since Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev publicly announced
last year that it was an Azeri national dish.

This provoked a furious response in Armenia and various initiatives
have been launched to help save the country’s national dishes from
`occupants.’ This even includes holding an annual Tolma Festival to
reinforce the idea that it is a typically Armenian food.

`Whatever the upshot of these culinary claims and counterclaims, it
sadly doesn’t seem like these regional rivals will be sitting down to
break bread with each other anytime soon,’ the article concludes.

New Armenian platoon left for Germany for Afghanistan peacekeeping mission

19:30, 19 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS: Peacekeeping platoon of the Armed
Forces of the Republic of Armenia left for Germany on January 19. In a
conversation with “Armenpress” commander of the peacekeeping platoon
of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, Major General Artur
Simonyan stated that the new shift of the Armenian peacekeepers
includes 65 servicemen, which will leave for Germany to participate in
classes, then, in the first half of February, they will depart for
Afghanistan, where the unit will perform the peacemaking mission in
the Kunduz Airport. Also Major General Artur Simonyan noted: “Armenian
peacekeepers performing mission in Kunduz will come back after serving
ten days with the new unit of peacekeepers.”

Among other things commander of the peacekeeping platoon of the Armed
Forces of the Republic of Armenia, Major General Artur Simonyan
mentioned that the one unit of the Armed Forces of the Republic of
Armenia is included ISAF under the Northern Command and provides
security of the airport of Kunduz town since 2010. Before leaving for
Afghanistan the Armenian platoon will participate in the trainings in
Germany, which will last 3-4 weeks.

What Prevents Ivanishvili From Pursuing a Pro-Armenian Policy?

JANUARY 18, 2013 11:34

`We can see that Ivanishvili has good wishes of normalizing the
Armenia-Georgia relations, solving hard issues. We can also see honest
wishes to compromise on the main issues concerning Armenian Georgians
and Javakhk Armenians,’ Vahe Sargsyan, a PhD in history and an expert
of Mitk (idea), an analytical center, expressed this opinion on the
future developments in the Armenia-Georgia relations. However, he
noted at the same time that there were some obstacles to putting
Ivanishvili’s good wishes into practice. He stated: `One of the
negative factors is that he is related and dependent on the Georgian
Orthodox Church. It is no secret that the assimilation of Armenian
cultural heritage, intolerance toward Armenians of Georgia, the change
in Javakhk’s demography in favor of Georgians and a set of other
negative phenomena are orchestrated by the Orthodox Church. If we take
into account that the church is an absolute authority for Georgian
society, we must say that Ivanishvili’s task will be a very hard one.
And if he has honest wishes, difficult times await him.’

According to V. Sargsyan, one of the positive factors is
`Ivanishvili’s wish to normalize relations with the Russian
Federation. They have to normalize those relations whether they like
it or not. One of the reasons for that is the issue of poverty in the
country. It is no secret that closing the Russian market is to blame
for poverty. Therefore, Ivanishvili must normalize economic relations
with the Russian Federation. Armenia’s interest, the Armenian factor
can play a big role here.’

In response to our question what policy the Republic of Armenia should
pursue, in order to be able to benefit from this relatively favorable
situation, Mr. Sargsyan said: `To make definite demands, to take a
definite position on which the relations with Georgia should be based.
For example, the Turkish and Azeri investments in communications of
Georgia are a direct threat to our country’s security. If Georgia
wants to restore good-neighborly relations with Armenia, it has to
take into account that very factor. And opening the Abkhazian railway
will help, since in a sense it may be a counterbalance. The next
factor is Armenians of Georgia. We have more than 150 000 native
Armenians in Javakhk who can play a big role in preventing Georgia’s
anti-Armenian policy.’

Tatev HARUTYUNYAN

HUNGARIAN COMPANY PLANS TO JOIN AZERBAIJAN`S PROJECTS

TODAY.AZ
18 JANUARY 2013 [19:15]

Head of the Urban Water Management of Budapest, Secretary General
of Water Business Cluster Csaba Haranghy on Jan. 17 visited Azersu
OJSC (water operator of Azerbaijan) to meet with Chair of the OJSC
Gorkhmaz Huseynov.

According to the Azersu OJSC, stressing the highly developed
relations between Azerbaijan and Hungary Gorkhmaz Huseynov gave
detailed information about the development process and infrastructure
projects of Azerbaijan.

“At present, most of the projects implemented in the country for
reconstruction of potable water systems and systems of sewerage
services, management of rainwater are funded through state
investments,” Huseynov said. “Alongside, more than 10 projects
are implemented by the loans taken from international financial
institutions “.

“Given that both Azerbaijan and Hungary were parts of the socialist
system, the experience of the Hungarian company is of interest to
Azerbaijan. That is why we are interested in cooperation with the
Water Business Cluster,” the head of Azersu said.

In turn, the head of water management in Hungary said that the company
has set a goal to participate in projects in Azerbaijan.

“Our company specializes in planning of the construction of reservoirs,
water treatment plants, as well as tunnels for discharge of sewage
and rainwater. So far, we have implemented major projects in Russian
cities of Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saransk,” Haranghy said.

Chairman of Azersu Gorkhmaz Huseynov invited the company to participate
in tenders for construction of sewage collector of tunnel type with
length of 200 kilometers in the Absheron Peninsula and more than 45
water treatment plants in regions.

The Hungarian delegation got acquainted with the construction of the
Jeyranbatan water purification unit, Xirdalan Rainwater Collection
System and new building of the central laboratory.

/AzerTAc/ URL:

S.OHANIAN: 3 BILLION AMD TO BE ALLOCATED TO FAMILIES OF FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Friday,
January 18

This year three billion drams will be allocated to families of
those freedom fighters, who were killed or became disabled in the
Artsakh war, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian said at the meeting with
reporters today.

It is planned to spend the bulk of this amount on solution of housing
problems of such families. According to the minister, the number of
those eligible for aid may reach 400. As for able-bodied freedom
fighters, S. Ohanian said the Defense Ministry will ask all the
departments to provide employment to former freedom fighters.

TODAY, 19:41

Aysor.am

114 FAMILIES MOVE TO ARTSAKH FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCY IN 2012

Friday,
January 18

114 families (415 people) moved from Armenia and other countries to
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic to establish permanent residency there
in 2012. They received the status of a settler and were granted all
privileges stipulated by the law.

Karabakh-open.info reported that the implementation of Lebanon-based
Artsakh Fond~R s program is underway: families of settlers with three
and more children were given 152 milch cows in NKR last year.

58.9 million AMD was spent on solution of problems of settlers and
refugees in 2012.

TODAY, 20:28

Aysor.am

BRUSSELS THINK-TANK SAYS EMERGING ALLIANCE BETWEEN IRAN AND ARMENIA COULD “CIRCUMVENT” WESTERN SANCTIONS

BRUSSELS, January 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ —

A report issued by Brussels-based think tank European Strategic
Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC) places a spotlight on what
some have termed “an unholy alliance” between Islamist Iran and
Christian Armenia, an alliance that anlaysts warn could dilute the
impact of Western sanctions.

Analysts at the ESISC have also said the alliance
with Iran allows Armenia to prolong the low-density conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh, where it has occupied Azeri land and refused to
withdraw its troops despite four UN resolutions.

The report points out to “the special relationship”
between Tehran and Yerevan offering Iran to “evade international
sanctions and pursue its nuclear ambitions” and offsetting the
recent efforts of the EU and the US to step up sanctions in order to
isolateIran in energy and financial sectors.

The potential sanction-busting alliance between the two neighbours also
allow Armenian goods and services “to open up to warm seas routes”
while permitting Iran “to benefit from access to the Black Sea and
to circumvent international sanctions,” reads the report.

Stressing the increasing cooperation between Iran and Armenia “not only
in gas and electrictiy but also in hard industry, pharmaceuticals,
mining and petrochemicals”, the report ranks Iran as the fourth
largest exporter to Armenia and refers to a future free trade area
between Tehran and Yerevan which could render Armenia’s economy less
dependent on worker’s remittance from Russia, loans from international
institutions and foreign assistance from the Armenian diaspora.

Attributing the strong ties between Armenia and Iran partly to the
survival of a well-integrated Armenian minority in Shiite Iran, the
report further demonstrates the increasing convergence of political,
strategic and economic interests of Armenia and Iran.

According to the report, the consolidation of Tehran and Yerevan axis
is posing a growing threat to the peace and stability in the Caucasus
preventing attempts to restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,
especially by maintaining the status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh since
the 1994 ceasefire.

The report argues that Iran is favoring Armenia’s position as it
is opposed to “a package solution proposed by the OSCE”, providing
for the deployment of a peace-keeping force which could include
Western troops. Nearly 20% of the Azerbaýjaný terrýtorýes remaýn
under occupatýon despite several UN, European Parliament and PACE
resolutýons in support of Azerbaýjan’s territorial integrity.

ESISC discusses Iran’s financial assistance to Islamist groups
and parties such as Islamic Party of Azerbaijan, the Jeyshullah and
Hizbullah as part of its efforts to destabilise Azerbaijan.  Analysts
say Iran is displeased with Baku’s role as a secular and pro-western
ally in fighting terrorism and in helping to guarantee Europe’s energy
security.

SOURCE European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC)

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ANDRIAS GHUKASYAN GOES ON HUNGER STRIKE

17:09 18/01/2013 ” TOPIC OF THE DAY

Presidential candidate Andrias Ghukasyan told reporters after the
Central Electoral Commission session that he will go on an indefinite
hunger strike from January 21.

The presidential hopeful added that he will stop the hunger strike
only when his demand is met and “the international observers leave
Armenia.”

On January 15, registered candidate Andrias Ghukasyan sent a letter to
CEC chairman Tigran Mukuchyan demanding the invalidation of the
registration of presidential candidate Serzh Sargsyan before the start
of the election campaign, saying that otherwise he will go on an
indefinite hunger strike.

Armenian Central Electoral Commission did not sustain his demand at a
regular session today.

Source: Panorama.am

U.S. INVESTIGATES IRANIAN ACTIVITY IN SOUTH CAUCASIA AND ASSESSES REGIONAL GEOPOLITICS

Friday, 18 January 2013

In one of its final hearings of the 2012 calendar year and one of
the final hearings of several of its most distinguished members, the
Foreign Affairs Committee of the lower house of the U.S. Congress
(House of Representatives) invited experts to speak on Iranian
activities and influence in South Caucasia.

Presently, all is calm on the ground in South Caucasia. Development
in Azerbaijan, recent democratic elections in Georgia and quiet in
Armenia indicate a thaw in this region of frozen conflicts after
a harsh blizzard of violence and social disarray that touched
three decades. However the tone of this hearing was all but calm,
as one would expect a hearing on Iranian influence in a critical
hydrocarbon transit corridor at the U.S. Congress in modern times to
be. Dan Burton, retiring Chairman of the Committee’s Subcommittee on
Europe and Eurasia, who just returned from the region, conveyed his
observation from abroad that Washington is not the only World capitol
in which such uneasy discussion of Iran can be heard.

One of the few cheery talking points that could be heard echoing off of
the hearing room’s wooden paneling that day was Burton’s relay of the
words of Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev calling for stronger bonds
between Georgia and Azerbaijan, the U.S. and Georgia and the U.S. and
Azerbaijan. Although these comments may sound like routine diplomatic
banter, they were not. Burton stated that regional leaders, especially
in Azerbaijan are bothered by growing levels of now suffocating Iranian
influence (both subversive and innocuous) in the region. Although
Azerbaijan, which is home to Israeli air bases, shares the longest
border in the region with Iran, the country’s heightened volume on the
issue may stem from its conflict with Armenia. According to the panel,
Iranian military assistance was behind Armenia’s successful capture
and continued occupation of pro-Western Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh
and seven nearby districts.

Furthermore, Iranian entities have been using organizations in
Armenia, Armenian occupied Azerbaijani Nagorno Karabakh and other
regional “black hole” frozen conflict zones to discreetly circumvent
Western sanctions and conduct illicit activity. According to panelist
Dr. Brenda Schaffer, past president of the foreign policy section
of the American Political Science Association, this phenomenon runs
especially rampant in the South Caucasian financial services sector.

However, Iran does not always follow the money and stick to the banks
when trying to extend its reach, breach sanctions and make much needed
cash; Iranian NGOs and educational organizations (especially those
religious in nature) have also been employed as fronts.

Nefarious Iranian activity in the region is not limited to sanction
skirting; Iran has been accused of sponsoring eclectic violence
including terrorism and drug smuggling in the South Caucasus. Tehran
backed drug smugglers are moving increased quantities of Afghan opium
through the region and they frequently sneak various methamphetamines
into Azerbaijan via speed boat and the porous land border.

All the talk of state sponsored drug smuggling, covert proxy war and
terrorism gave the hearing a surreal if not unbelievable and biased
feel. If hearing attendees were not wondering if they were in the
opening scenes of a George Clooney movie, they were likely wondering
why Iran would exert so much energy on destabilizing countries that it
neighbors and shares porous borders with. Much like why some children
bully others on the playground, the answer lies in self insecurity.

Dr. Schaffer theorizes that the fact that Iran is barely 50% ethnically
Persian inspires it to commit acts that paint the titular homelands
of many of Iran’s minority groups (such as Azerbaijan) in a negative
light. This is done to discourage minority emigration and separatist
sentiment, the latter is already a problem Iran is already facing in
its South East. To Iran’s relief, Schaffer went on to cite research
that indicated most Iranian minorities wish to remain subjects of
the Islamic republic but want more linguistic and cultural autonomy
within it.

Despite international sanctions and the trouble that Iran is causing
leaders in the South Caucasus, Iranian influence there is still often
seen by many as benign and even as something economically beneficial.

Although all members of the panel and all members of the U.S. Congress
presiding over the hearing took blatantly anti-Iranian stances, no
criticism was dealt to regional powers for having good relations with
Tehran. Due to conflict on both its Eastern and Western flanks, small,
landlocked and resource devoid Armenia only has two open borders;
one being with Iran. Georgia, a great and loyal US ally and Iranian
neighbor also stricken with regional geopolitical isolation has good
ties with Iran that have only improved following the abolition of
the two countries bilateral visa regime and the release of their last
year’s trade figures. The recipient of the most criticism that day was
the West. The panel concluded that the West could help ameliorate some
of the isolation that regional powers feel and squeeze out/provide an
alternative to Iranian power by expanding the presence and dominion
of Euro-Atlantic institutions such as the EU and NATO. The panel also
felt that Western intelligence and security services should commit more
resources to assisting South Caucasian states roll up Iranian fronts
and other illicit organizations. The perhaps easiest to implement
strategy suggestion given that day was the panel’s cry for the United
States to discontinue one of the few activities that it and Iran share,
the “illegal” funding of the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The United States and its allies have a world of work ahead of them
if they are to try to counter Iranian influence in South Caucasia
let alone the entire world, something that the cash strapped US and
Eurozone may not be up to at this point. However, Iran has a world of
work to do just to keep it from simply collapsing into economic and
social ruin. The coming years will bring an intense, interesting and
dirty war of attrition for power and puppet strings in the Caucasus
with a winner that will prevail through the use of wit, willpower
and attitude.

By Sam Storey

Friday, 18 January 2013

Ferghana News

ARMENIAN PRISONER APPLIES TO OMBUDSMAN, FEARS FOR HIS LIFE

18:32 ~U 18.01.13

The rapid response group of the Armenian Ombudsman~Rs office responded
to a letter Artak Hakobyan, an inmate of the Hrazdan penitentiary,
addressed to Tert.am.

The group members Habet Martirosyan and Azat Galstyan confirmed the
prisoner~Rs complaint and asked the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman)
for assisting Artak Hakobyan~Rs transfer to another penitentiary. The
prisoner fears for his life.

In his complaint to the Ombudsman, the prisoner informed that on
December 28, 2012, he demanded that the Nubarashen penitentiary
administration organize a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) examination
for him. However, he was beaten and struck his head against the
window.

The following day Artak Hakobyan was transferred to the Hrazdan
penitentiary, where he was kept in a lock-up for 15 days for wearing
gold items.

Artak Hakobyan told the Ombudsman~Rs representatives that he has until
now been staying in the lock-up though the 15-day period passed long
ago.

The prisoner also told that V. Matevosyan, Head of the Operations
Department, is his personal enemy. V. Matevosyan is a relative of the
vice-chief of the Goris penitentiary. Artak Hakobyan had bribe-related
problems with him and fears for his life.

On Thursday, Tert.am also got in touch with Mr Gor Ghlechyan,
Spokesman for the Department of Execution of Punishments. He said that
the prisoner~Rs complaint contains inaccurate information.