Author: nina hovnanian

RECONCILIATION PROGRAM URGED TURKS TO SPEAK ABOUT THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE – ARSEN GHAZARYAN

news.am
November 20, 2012 | 13:45

YEREVAN.- Programs on Armenia-Turkey reconciliation urged Turks
to speak about the Armenian Genocide, head of Armenia’s Union of
Manufacturers and Businessmen Arsen Ghazaryan said.

The Turkish society is holding debates on the issues never publicly
discussed before.

“For instance, return of property to Armenians. Turks started speaking
about Armenian Genocide. They say ‘We all are Hrant Dink’,” Ghazaryan
told reporters on Tuesday speaking about the USAID-initiated program
which provides youth from both states with an opportunity to establish
regular contacts and exchange views.

Within the framework of the program, Taraf and Radical dailies prepared
reports on Armenian Genocide, Ghazaryan recalled.

CLASHES FLARE UP NEAR THE ARMENIAN REGION OF KESSAB

15:59, 20 November, 2012

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. The situation is intense in the
Syrian border town of Kessab located in Latakia Governorate. The Press
Secretary of the Armenian National Prelacy in Aleppo Jirayr Reisian
informed “Armenpress” about this. In addition he said that clashes
of the governmental forces and armed rebels flared up in that region.

According to Reisyan the clashes do not take place right in the
Armenian-populated regions, notwithstanding they heavily damaged
the electric station and now the region is entirely deprived of the
electricity. Both cell phones and civil telephone service are out
of order.

As to the situation in Aleppo it is rather calm, nothing has changed.

The Arabian mass media also state about the heavy clashes in Latakia
Governorate. It was announced that bloody fights are going on in Beit
Firas, Beit Auan, Saraya al Khadra, Beit al Hayk and other villages
near Kessab.

One of the members of “Emergency Unit of the Syrian-Armenians” Raffi
Avetisyan informed the Armenian portal of the Middle East “Azat
Hay” that in accordance with the present information the clashes
in Syria lasting about 20 months caused the death of 40 Armenians
and the injuries of 66 people of Armenian origin. There are also 7
kidnapped Armenians, and 2 missing servicemen. More than 200 houses
have been damaged.

PM TIGRAN SARGSYAN EXTENDS CONDOLENCES ON FLORA MARTIROSYAN’S DEATH

17:59 20.11.20120

Prime Minister Tigran Sarsgyan extended condolences on the death of
famous Armenian singer Flora Martirosyan

“With deep sorrow I learned of the passing of famous Armenian singer,
People’s Artist Flora Martirosyan.

One of exceptional singers of our time, she used to captivate hearts
and souls with her inimitable voice. Great and invaluable is Flora
Martirosyan’s contribution to the Armenian music art. Her legacy will
keep on fascinating many generations ahead.

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and on my own
behalf, I am extending condolences to Flora Martirosyan’s family,
close relatives, friends and thousands of her fans.”

CAUCASIAN ARTERY WILL RUN ACROSS ARMENIA
HAKOB BADALYAN

Politics – Tuesday, 20 November 2012, 15:17

The statement of the Georgian minister of integration reduced
intensity of deliberations on the possible operation of the Abkhazian
railway. The reaction was not strong. But this was enough for
“reconnaissance” to understand the attitude of the regional actors.

Hence, a second wave of this topic is possible after the authors of
the idea of opening the railway analyze feedback from the first wave.

The new government of Georgia has a task to propose know-how for an
original and effective position on the regional, Georgian-Russian,
Abkhazian and Ossetian conflicts.

At the same time, the idea of operating the Abkhazian railway has
also an outlet for geopolitical developments, is located on a weak
but clearly felt artery.

The state of transportation in the South Caucasus is very poor,
which is not consistent with the potential it has. Now there is not
a regional railway. There is a regional pipeline – Baku-Ceyhan –
but there is not a railway.

The Kars-Akhalkalaki project is in place but it is not supported by
the West. Both the United States and the EU have refused to fund this
project. The reason is not that the project bypasses Armenia and may
generate tension and lines of demarcation. The West is reluctant to
leave the only regional transportation facility at the disposal of
Turks and Azeris.

At the same time, the West cannot prevent Turkey and Azerbaijan from
building the pipeline. It can hinder but it may be reluctant to. Why
not? Let Turkey and Azerbaijan build this infrastructure. This tool of
theirs will not seem dangerous or troublesome if other communications
are established as well.

>>From this point of view, the Abkhazian railway with the geography
Iran-Armenia-Georgia-Russia with outlets to the Black Sea and the
Persian Gulf or maybe even further to the Indian Ocean may be an
alternative to Kars-Akhalkalaki. This may be a competitive project,
especially that it will not be built anew but will be refurbished.

It will certainly be ingenuous to explain every practical policy on its
operation as an effort to ensure an alternative to Kars-Akhalkalaki
but this project is a serious challenge to the so-called Western
programs of modernization in the South Caucasus if it is the sole
railway in the Caucasus. In case of forming an alternative it becomes
a productive infrastructure.

At the same time, the Abkhazian railway has also the prospect of
the main artery of the South Caucasus which will be urgent in the
culmination of the fight for regional influence.

The project of the Armenia-Iran railway will acquire key importance
which has stopped being an Armenian project and gains more importance
in the Abkhazian context. Growth of interest and practical steps by
international investors is not ruled out.

Naturally, in this context the question occurs what interests the
West has, given the Abkhazian railway may boost the Russian influence.

The point is that the West expects to gain a substantial advantage
in the fight with Russia for influence on the South Caucasus.

At the same time, the West does not intend to oust Russia from the
South Caucasus in order not to cause complications. Russia will be
offered mostly economic projects with titular political dignity.

LESS BIRTHS RECORDED IN ARMENIA FOR LAST TWO YEARS

news.am
November 20, 2012 | 14:06

YEREVAN. – A drop in the number of births is recorded in Armenia for
the past two years, Labor and Social Affairs Ministry Demography
Department Head Vanik Babajanyan noted during a press conference
on Tuesday.

And this has occurred in the case when an increase in marriages and
births was observed in the country between 2001 and 2010. Babajanyan
explained that the number of births had increased during that period
as a result of a change in the sex-and-age ratio, as the number of
marriage-age people grew. But a study of the sex-and-age pyramid
reveals that the number of births in Armenia will drop after 2015
because the potential brides and grooms will be those who were born
in the 1990s, which were difficult years for the country.

In his turn, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Armenia
representative Garik Hayrapetyan said the Armenians are an aging
nation, and more investments need to be made into the country’s public
health and social security.

Sociologist Karen Sargsyan, however, noted that the Armenians are
not an aging nation, but rather Armenia’s population is aging because
the youth want to leave the country. As per Sargsyan, primarily those
with high qualifications are leaving Armenia today, in the case when
mostly those with a vocational education were heading abroad in the
previous years.

AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENTARIAN: OUR ACTIONS TODAY CAN PREVENT ANOTHER GENOCIDE OF ARMENIANS IN NAGORNO KARABAKH

MEDIA RELEASE November 20, 2012

The Peak Public Affairs Committee of the Armenian-Australian Community

NSW: The Honorable Reverend Fred Nile, a New South Wales Member of
the Legislative Council, has remained steadfast in his support of
the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.

In a powerful speech delivered in the NSW Upper House, Nile pledged
his “firm support to the right to self-determination for the Republic
of Nagorno Karabakh and call upon all nations to uphold this basic
human right.

He said: “Our actions today can prevent another genocide of Armenians.”

In his address, Nile also condemned a recent quote by Azeri President,
Ilham Aliyev, stating: “Our main enemies are the Armenians of the
world.” Nile also touched on the pardoning by Azerbaijan of axe
murdering soldier Ramil Safarov, who brutally killed an Armenian
soldier while he was asleep during a NATO exercise.

On October 25th, 2012, the Legislative Council of New South Wales
adopted a unanimous motion recognising the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
and calling on the right to self-determination of its people.

This historic motion was the first in Australia and the third
internationally.

“We are grateful to Rev. Nile for his ongoing support for Armenia,
Nagorno Karabakh, and the Armenian people. He continually upholds
and defends human rights for the betterment of mankind,” remarked
ANC Australia Executive Director Vache Kahramanian.

The text of the statement can be read below:

Reverend the Hon. FRED NILE [10.17 p.m.]: I am pleased to add my
support to an issue of importance not only to the Australian Armenian
community but also to those who struggle for the basic human right of
freedom and self-determination worldwide. These points were made to
me during the recent annual Armenian gala dinner. The Armenian people
have been subjected to some of darkest chapters in modern history.

In 1915, as our Anzac soldiers were fighting on the shores of
Gallipoli, more than 1.5million Armenians were being massacred under
a systematic genocidal campaign by the Ottoman Empire. In the midst
of such horrific carnage Armenians rose to form the first independent
Republic of Armenia on 28 May 1918. However, this was not to last
as Armenia was swept into the vacuum of the Soviet Union. Although
the perpetrators of the Armenian genocide were never punished for
their crimes against humanity, Armenians today continue to struggle
for basic human rights in the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is
located at the eastern end of the Armenian plateau.

Historically, this country was constituted as part of Greater Armenia
from as early as 600 BC. Although ruled by various empires throughout
history, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh-which is an ethnic Armenian
enclave-were faced with astark future when Joseph Stalin gifted
Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan on 5 July 1920. Over the next 70
years the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh faced devastation
at the hands of the Azerbaijan Soviet authorities that was akin to
the persecutions suffered by Armenians during the 1915 genocide.

Upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia
re-established itself as a republic on 21 September. However, during
these historic times the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh were facing
their darkest period.

After years of persecution, including massacres and pogroms,
the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh held a referendum on 10
December 1991, which resulted in adeclaration of independence. This
led to Azeri forces launching an all-out military assault against
the civilian Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, which resulted
in the loss of tens of thousands of innocent lives. The war, which
continued until 1994, ended when the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe brokered a ceasefire agreement between Armenia
and Azerbaijan. Although the ceasefire has remained in place and the
Organization for Security and CooperationMinsk Group, which is chaired
by the United States, Russia and France, continues to negotiate for
a peaceful final settlement, Azerbaijan consistently violates the
ceasefire on almost a daily basis.

Between 2006 and 2011, Azerbaijani ceasefire violations along the
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh border increased by more than 2,100 per
cent. According to the figures I have, Azerbaijan had already violated
the ceasefire regime 6,000 times during the first five months of 2012.

These figures indicate that Azerbaijan has nointention of resolving
this longstanding dispute peacefully. In November 2011 Radio Free
Europe reported:

International mediators have repeatedly called for both Armenian
and Azerbaijani forces to withdraw snipers from the area. UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon added his voice to those calls in a
statement issued in September 2010.

Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh have agreed, but
Azerbaijan continues to oppose the proposal. According to the Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute in 2012 there was an increase of
well over $2 billion a year in Azerbaijan’s annual military spending
over the past decade. In October 2010 Radio Free Europe reported
the growth of military expenditure in Azerbaijan from $1.59billion
in 2010 to $3.1 billion in 2011, which is 20 times larger than the
budget ofeight years ago. Among the countries of the former Soviet
Union only Russia spendsmore money on its military.

In this day and age we are fortunate to live in a country like
Australia and at times wetake the basic human rights of peace
and liberty for granted. This ideal is a constant struggle for
Nagorno-Karabakh, especially when comments such as “Our main
enemies are the Armenians of the world” are made by the President of
Azerbaijan, according to his presidential website.

In 2004 during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] Partnership
for Peace program in Budapest, Azeri Lieutenant Ramil Safarov murdered
his counterpart Armenian Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan in his sleep by
nearly decapitating him with an axe. Safarov was eventually repatriated
to Azerbaijan and treated as a hero and promoted to the rank of
major. I give my firm support to the right to self-determination for
the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and call upon all nations to uphold
this basic human right. Our actions today can prevent another genocide
of Armenians.

AZERBAIJAN READYING KARABAKH STRIKE STRATEGY?

November 20, 2012 – 14:19 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The U.S. believes that Baku is ready to launch
military operations in Karabakh next year.

“Presently, Azerbaijan is readying a strategy for attack on Karabakh,
aiming to take Armenian side by surprise. Armenia will be putting up
resistance, retaliating with counter strikes,” WNWI 1080 AM Online
Radio said.

The report also touched upon the Russian factor in Karabakh conflict.

“Russia is not interested in the defeat of its ally and strengthening
of unloyal Baku, balancing between Ankara and Washington,” the
Radio said.

MORE MEN IN ARMENIA SUFFERING FROM STERILITY

news.am
November 20, 2012 | 11:59

YEREVAN. – There are approximately forty types of infertility disorders
whose twenty-two are linked to women and eighteen are connected
with men, Armenian Association for Reproductive Health Director,
gynecologist Eduard Hambardzumyan said during a press conference on
Tuesday. In his words, 50 percent of these problems have to do with
women, 40 percent with men, and 10 percent could occur in both.

Hambardzumyan informed that in recent times he comes across
more problems among the men and this, in all probability, is
also conditioned on the fact that more men in Armenia have started
consulting physicians in connection with fertility problems. According
to the gynecologist’s data, around 9,000 people in Armenia need
artificial insemination. But he stressed that since a correct fiscal
policy is lacking and the entire burden is put solely upon the couples,
they are unable to help them. As a result, 70 percent of Armenia’s
infertile couples have no means for being treated.

The press conference’s other speaker, the aforesaid association’s
deputy director, gynecologist Karine Pokhunts, added that the
reproductive functions of the majority of Armenia’s present-day
infertile couples were formed during the “dark and cold” years in
the 1990s. Also, Pokhunts underscored the need for state assistance
to this domain. “It’s just that the state means are directed to those
couples without fertility issues, and, instead, they are encouraging
a growth in childbirth,” Karine Pokhunts added.

GLENDALE TO CELEBRATE 55TH BIRTHDAY OF ARMENIAN NATIONAL HERO, MONTE MELKONIAN,

11:16, November 20, 2012

Los Angeles, CA – A program celebrating the life and legacy of famed
Armenian commander Monte Melkonian will be taking place on Friday,
December 7, 2012, on the occasion of what would have been his 55th
birthday. Monte, a California native, was an intellectual and a freedom
fighter who dedicated his life to the national-liberation struggle
of the Armenian nation. He played a key role in the liberation of
a part of Armenia – Artsakh – and was awarded the title of National
Hero of the Republic of Armenia.

The event will feature the premiere of a documentary film prepared
by Hayrenaser, which reflects on Monte’s role in the liberation of
Artsakh and the significance of his liberated territories. Political
scientist and historian Dr. Armen Ayvazyan will present a comparative
analysis, drawing parallels between the rebellion of the 1720’s in the
Artsakh-Syunik region led by Davit Bek and the meliks of Artsakh and
the actions of the Armenian commanders, particularly Monte, in the
most recent liberation war in Artsakh. Singers Armen Movsisyan and
Hovhannes Shahbazyan will enrich the evening with their performances,
while an exhibit will showcase photographs dedicated to Artsakh’s
liberated regions of Kashatagh and Karvachar.

The program will commence at 7:30 PM and is free to the public. The
Glendale Public Library is located at 222 East Harvard Street,
Glendale, CA 91205.

The event is organized by the “Hayrenaser” organization, which
has a mission to contribute to the preservation and development
of Armenia’s independent statehood by identifying and addressing
critical challenges.

IN WHAT DIRECTION “AZERBAIJANI RESOURCE” WILL BE USED
Igor Muradyan

Politics – Monday, 19 November 2012, 10:36

The Turkish political elite are confused, and the political discourse
relating to home and foreign political issues is enhanced. There are
no answers to the questions on the relations with the U.S., NATO and
leading European countries. Regional political issues have become
more problematic.

Studying the materials of Turkish, Iranian, Bulgarian and Greek
experts who are distinguished for more objective presentation of
ideas than their colleagues in Europe and America, we can note some
surprise with which they accept events relating to Turkey. We can see
the attempts of the Turkish political class to pause the development
of the foreign policy, trying its political and economic resources
on the issues put forward.

Along this line, Recep Tayyip Erdogan probably understands that any
pause will work against him, so he is trying to imitate activeness or
rather continuation of the declared political course. But now everyone
understands that Turkey’s foreign policy has failed, and time will
be needed to compensate the unbelievable moral and political loss
which caused in the wake of unjustified calculations.

There is no hope for a new understanding of the situation. Anyway,
a new debate is brewing in Turkey on various issues, and if this
discussion overlaps with the emerging economic crisis, it may lead
to serious internal political crisis.

Having appeared in such a difficult situation of dependence on the
U.S. and NATO, Turkey is unable to pay attention to Azerbaijan’s
foreign political needs. It was supposed that once in blockade and
isolation, Turkey would resort to the scenario of development of the
“Azerbaijani resource” in its foreign policy as it happened during
the “normalization” of the Armenian and Turkish relations. It does
not seem to be happening.

Although, it’s not certain. We used to consider the use of the
“Azerbaijani resource” in the Armenian direction but this resource
is used by the Turks toward Russia, Iran, and possibly Israel. In a
certain sense, the “Azerbaijani resource” can be used by Ankara in
any direction, including Europe and the U.S., the point is only about
the capacity and efficiency of the resource in a certain direction.