Author: nina hovnanian

COMMUNITY POLICING IS DEPLOYED IN ARMENIA – INTERVIEW

news.am
July 24, 2012 | 02:10

YEREVAN.- Politico-Military Officer of the OSCE Office in Yerevan
Lilian Salaru spoke about police reform and OSCE programs in Armenia
in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Since when does your Office support the police reform in Armenia?

Close cooperation between the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Armenian
Police started in 2003. Important elements of democratic police such
as community policing, contemporary methods of police education were
tested in the frames of respective pilot projects. These initiatives
practically showed that there was a need for reform in the area of
police activities and in the area of public readiness to accept new,
democratic methods of the police service.

And today, when the police has already embarked the reforms and is in
the critical stage of implementation, the OSCE Office in Yerevan wants
to reiterate its readiness in enhancing and broadening its support
to police reforms focused on establishing trust and co-operation
between the police and population through community based policing,
police education reform, co-operation of the police with media,
local authorities and civil society as well as public order management.

Is it dealt by one programme or different projects are involved? What
has been done?

The OSCE closely cooperates with the Police in the modernization of
police education. At this stage of our joint activities, the new Police
Educational Complex was established, consisting of Police Academy,
Police College and Police Training Center; a new testing system
for applicants to police educational institutions was developed,
independent admission commissions were set up.

Activities aimed at strengthening the links between the police and
population are in progress, particularly in terms of deployment
community policing throughout Yerevan. This year in March the Office
organized a Community Policing Train the Trainers Course. Community
policing training is one of the imperatives of the Armenian Police
today, considering that starting from June 1, 2012 Community Policing
model was deployed throughout Yerevan. With that in view, the Train
of Trainers format was selected, since the course participants,
due to their roles as operational commanders and trainers, are in
the position to cascade the acquired knowledge among their staff and
students. Moreover, the OSCE international expert developed Guidelines
for Police officers Involved in Community Policing. The Guidelines
is an easy-to-use tool for better understanding the complex process
of community policing, supported with practical examples. Most
importantly, the guidelines follow Armenia’s Charter on Community
Policing and take into account the best international practice, while
being written in the context of policing in Armenia. We believe that
the Guidelines are also useful for citizens and other stakeholders
of Armenia.

Another priority area of â~@~Kâ~@~Kcooperation between the OSCE
Office and the police is the democratic methods of public order
management. One of the key results was the development of guidelines
for police officers involved in public order management and a series
of trainings that were delivered by an international police expert
for police officers involved in Public Order Management. The training
program incorporates what the OSCE considers as the most important
challenges within Public Order Management for the Armenian Police in
the immediate future.

Obviously, it also takes into account the needs for the policing of
the upcoming Presidential Election. The training programme identifies
a series of courses set at separate levels across the police service
from strategic decision makers to operational staff.

What kind of activities do you plan in the future?

Despite the success of the first steps, there is still much to do
to prepare police officers who can provide qualified service to the
population. Therefore, the Office will continue to strongly support
the Police Educational Complex, enhance anti-corruption mechanisms,
mainstream gender issues in the educational process and put the
training programmes in line with the best international standards.

We view our assistance in establishing police-public partnership also
as a vehicle to combat corruption, mainstream human rights, raise the
involvement of women in law enforcement, and involve the population
and civil society in monitoring activities. Good relations between
the police and the media are also one of the main indicators of the
development of democratic policing in Armenia, therefore, the Office
will continue to assist police to strengthen the cooperation with media
through organizing round table discussions, strengthening capacities of
the Police Public Relations Department. We will also continue working
with the Public Order Management Department to maximize its efficiency
and to ensure that contemporary approaches in operational POM policing
are proactively developed and introduced across the Police.

The Office jointly with the Police and local NGO will continue to
conduct Police Open Day events which are envisaged to be carried out
throughout all Armenian provinces in 2012. The aim of the event is
to familiarize juveniles from High Schools with the work of the Police.

It is an excellent opportunity for schoolchildren to be acquainted with
their province’s police activity and have a better understanding of the
police work. Schoolchildren visit the respective Police Department,
get familiarized with the special means, police vehicles and other
means of protection. Besides, interactive lectures on Police objectives
and main areas of activity, Trafficking in Human Beings, Drug abuse
and Corruption are delivered and relevant brochures distributed to
juveniles. Police Open Days are comprehensively covered on local TV
channels and on “02” Police program.

The OSCE Office in Yerevan will continue to implement a 1.7 million
Euro project on strengthening electoral processes in Armenia financed
by the European Union The general aim of this project is to support
democratic elections in Armenia in line with international standards.

Through implementation of this project, the Office aims to enhance
Police capacities and capabilities in performing election – related
functions.

ARMENIA EXPORTS DIAMONDS WITHIN KIMBERLEY PROCESS

news.am
July 25, 2012 | 00:41

YEREVAN. – Armenia being potential state-participant of the Kimberley
Process (KP) has been purchasing and selling rough diamonds only with
the state-participants of the process since 2003. Any cargo of rough
diamonds imported to or exported from Armenia should be accompanied
with the Kimberley certificate.

Total of 39 applicants received the Kimberley export certificate with
total of 43,000 carats, while 97 applicants received the Kimberley
import certificate with total of 87,000 carats in the first half of
this year, the Armenian Ministry of Economy report informed Armenian
News-NEWS.am.

According to the Armenian customs service agencies, the diamond
supplier-states for Armenia in the first half of the year were Belgium
(21,800 carats), UAE (14,400), India (12,100) and Russia (8,200).

The KP is a joint governments, industry and civil society initiative
to stem the flow of conflict diamonds – rough diamonds used by rebel
movements to finance wars against legitimate governments.

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO LEBANON RECEIVES DIRECTOR OF ARMENIAN JEWELERS ASSOCIATION

NEWS.AM
July 24, 2012 | 17:51

Armenia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ashot Kocharyan received the executive
director of Armenian Jewelers Association (AJA) Artak Udumyan who is
on a working visit to Beirut.

During the meeting Udumyan presented the goals and results of the
visit noting the importance of cooperation with Armenian jewelers of
Lebanon and their participation in the world jewelry exhibition in
Yerevan this fall.

In Beirut Udumyan met with the local AJA members, presented the main
directions of AJA activities and future programs.

He also met with local jewelers in Armenian-populated Anchar district
to discuss cooperation prospects.

ARMENIAN REPORT TO UN: AZERBAIJAN HAS SIGNIFICANTLY EXCEEDED ITS ESTABLISHED CEILINGS IN THREE CATEGORIES OF TREATY-LIMITED EQUIPMENT

Armenia has released a new report named Conventional arms control at
the regional and subregional levels in the UN. The report is spread
in UN by the UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon. According to the report
Azerbaijan has unleashed a decidedly dangerous race of armaments.

Russian Regnum news agency writes about this.

According to the document the country has significantly exceeded its
established ceilings in three categories of Treaty-limited equipment.

“The Azerbaijani holdings in battle tanks were 381 (permitted ceiling
is 220) and in artillery are 516 (permitted ceiling is 285). In
2011 there was a sizeable increase of holdings in artillery (47)
as well as in the categories of attack helicopters (3 to 5) and
armoured combat vehicles (106). Unfortunately Azerbaijan failed to
reflect the exceeding of its ceiling of armoured combat vehicles –
287 against 220 – permitted by the Treaty.

The manifold increase of Azerbaijan’s military budget over the
last years (the defence budget for 2012 is $3.47 billion) and
the persistent aggressive and harsh anti-Armenian rhetoric of the
Azerbaijani leadership also increase the gap between the two nations,
heighten the tension in the region of the South Caucasus and seriously
undermine the negotiation process aimed at the peaceful settlement of
existing problems, particularly the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The
negligent position of Azerbaijan in this regard has a very negative
impact on the efforts of Armenia to promote an atmosphere of trust
and cooperation in the region,” the report reads.

ADAM SCHIFF: PEOPLE OF ARTSAKH REMINDED THE WORLD OF THEIR COMMITMENT TO REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT

armradio.am
24.07.2012 16:38

Representative Adam Schiff issued a statement congratulating the
citizens of Nagorno Karabakh on the conduct of free and fair elections.

“Last Thursday, the people of Artsakh went to their polls to elect
a new president in what has been widely reported as a free and fair
election. I offer my congratulations to President Bako Sahakian,
and wish him well as Nagorno-Karabakh Republic continues its hard-won
progress,” Rep. Schiff said.

“By their continuing devotion to freedom and democracy, despite
two decades of violence and threats from its larger, richer and
undemocratic neighbor, the people of Artsakh have reminded the world
of their commitment to representative government. Their cause is our
cause, and they will continue to have my strongest support,” he said.

IN FACT THERE IS IMPUNITY
YEGHISHEH METSARENTS

The People newspaper reported that the case brought against
Alla Abrahamyan, the niece of Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan, has been
dismissed. She had rundown and killed a 3-year-old child. The police
confirmed that the criminal case was dismissed because of the absence
of corpus delicti.

This information is especially interesting in the context of Serzh
Sargsyan’s statement that nobody will be unpunished in Armenia. In
fact, there are people who can commit a crime and go unpunished and
they have very specific names and surnames, very specific relatives
at high-ranking levels.

On the other hand, Serzh Sargsyan is right when he says that nobody
will avoid punishment, the problem is to prove the crime. This is where
difficulties occur because there are a lot of non-provable people. They
may kill a person, intentionally or not but avoid responsibility while
a youth supporting the opposition does not have the right to scowl
at a policeman, and if he dies, he will be sentenced to six years.

There is no impunity but the crimes and sins of oppositionist and
ordinary citizens are proven a priori while the crimes and sins of
high-ranking officials, their friends and bodyguards are revealed
and proven.

Serzh Sargsyan was right when he said there is no impunity but he
forgot to speak about non-provability. As soon as no “non-provable”
people are left in Armenia, Armenia will establish the rule of law and
people will be equal before law independent from their social status.

T. ABRAHAMYAN: EVERY DEMOCRATIC ELECTION BRINGS CLOSER AND CLOSER PROCESS OF RECOGNITION OF ARTSAKH

Panorama.am
23/07/2012

“Every democratic election brings process of Recognition of Artsakh
closer and closer. This plain truth realizes also official Baku,
that is why Azerbaijan behaves itself more aggressive and worried
during the shown activeness from the side of monitoring missions and
foreign journalists in connection with Artsakh elections,” expert
Tigran Abrahamyan said.

Though 8 dozens observers from 18 countries participate in the
elections held in Artsakh the expert mentioned that there were a lot
of foreigners in Artsakh on election day and as well as one day before.

“One thing was obvious, attention towards elections held in Artsakh
and towards Artsakh itself grows, which is surely very positive,”
the expert added.

T. Abrahamyan who was present at the elections process in Artsakh
mentioned that the fact that there were no problems connected with
inaccuracies in the election lists was especially impressive and the
quality of the elections was high.

MARIAM AVETISYAN GAINS 1ST PLACE AT GEORGIA’S NANA ALEXANDRIA CUP

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 24, 2012 – 12:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian chess player Mariam Avetisyan scored 8,5
points out of 9 to take the first prize in G12 group of Nana Alexandria
Cup held in Poti, Georgia.

Gor Grigoryan (B8), Ashot Parvanyan (B12) and Ani Ivanyan (G12)
scored second places.

IM David Kalashian and Sargis V. Manukyan shared 1-4 places at the
main open of the festival.

Tiebreak points brought Kalashian the 2nd place while Manukyan came
4th, armchess.am said.

DEMOCRATIZATION AS AN ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF THE RECOGNITION OF THE UNRECOGNIZED BY DAVID STEPANYAN

arminfo
Tuesday, July 24, 02:29

The first thing that strikes the eye when one looks at the results
of the past presidential election in Nagorno-Karabakh is that the
opposition candidate, the hero of Artsakh, the former Deputy Defense
Minister, Vitaly Balasanyan, has secured 32.50% of the votes.

Naturally, the election in Nagorno-Karabakh has ended in the victory
of the current president, but the fact that his opposition rival has
been supported by as many as 1/3 of the voters proves that democratic
society in this unrecognized republic is becoming reality.

July 22 the Central Election Commission of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic summed up the results of the July 19 presidential election:
the turnover was 73.43%, the winner was the current NKR President
Bako Sahakyan, with 66.70% of the votes.

During the previous four presidential elections the winners enjoyed
landslide victories, this year’s winner received much fewer votes.

This does not, however, mean that his people do not love or respect
him. Simply this time they had a choice – something people in most
CIS countries (including Armenia and Azerbaijan) do not have.

Thus, the past election has become the first competitive election in
Nagorno-Karabakh. The key reason why Balasanyan has received so many
votes is that the opposition was consolidated, and this is a very
important factor. In fact, what the Nagorno-Karabakh people and all
Armenians mostly cared for was not the outcome of the election but
the fact of its conduct and its quality.

Almost all the observers, including those from abroad, have pointed
out that real opposition is taking shape in Nagorno-Karabakh. This
force has all chances to enter the parliament, and the authorities
cannot neglect this fact.

The election was held in a calm atmosphere. It is obvious that Bako
Sahakyan’s men applied administrative resources during the voting, and
that the Armenian authorities, with their vast experience in so doing,
did not stand aside, but it is no less obvious that the political
environment in Nagorno-Karabakh is changing and that the republic is
strongly committed to develop democracy and to build civil society.

The high turnover has proved that the local population is highly
interested in democracy building.

Unlike presidential hopefuls in many other post-Soviet republics –
where people are still prone to Soviet mentality – Balasanyan has
recognized the victory of his rival – though with certain reservations.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s democratic achievements look especially inspiring
if compared with the recent presidential elections in South Ossetia,
when the victory of the opposition candidate Alla Jioeva was cancelled
by Moscow and Abkhazia, when Moscow-sponsored Alexander Ankvab outran
Raul Khajimba and Sergey Shamba, with just 54.9% of the votes due to
active administrative backing.

In Transdniestria the leader of pro-Kremlin Renovation party Anatoly
Kaminsky was pushed by the Russia United party into the run-off but
still lost to his opposition rival Yevgenyt Shevchuk.

So, we can say that in all four unrecognized republics democratic
society is developing, simply, in Abkhazia and South Ossetia the
Kremlin’s influence is still very strong.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a different story: it is ruled by a man who is
supported by Armenia and part of the Nagorno-Karabakh population but
is in no way a Russian puppet.

Thus, the July 19 presidential election in Nagorno-Karabakh has
become one more example of democratization as an argument that the
unrecognized republics of the former Soviet Union should be recognized.

So, we can say that even despite their financial dependence on bigger
states and the pointblank refusal of their former “metropolises”
to recognize them, people in Nagorno-Karabakh, Transdniestria, South
Ossetia and Abkhazia are gaining the right of choice – something the
citizens in the internationally recognized CIS republics are still
void of.

MÄ°T TO RECRUIT PERSONNEL FLUENT IN MINORITY LANGUAGES

Today’s Zaman
July 24 2012
Turkey

0 24 July 2012 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, Ä°STANBUL

The National Intelligence Organization (MÄ°T) will recruit the
personnel who know Arabic, Persian, Armenian, Sorani and Hebrew.

Sorani is a Kurdish dialect that is spoken in Kurdish areas of Iran
and Iraq.

Candidates need to be citizens of Turkey and at least a graduate of
college or an equivalent school. A person who is a graduate of an
international school needs to possess an equivalence certificate
provided by the Higher Education Board (YOK) and the Ministry of
Education.

Male candidates are required to have completed their military service
or to be three months from discharge. However, if the male candidates
have not started their military service yet, they need to defer their
service until July 2013 at the earliest. Priority is given to the
candidate who is available to serve in different parts of Turkey and
the world. The candidates must be successful during the interview that
is part of the entrance exams organized by the MÄ°T Undersecretariat.

Applicants who satisfy the conditions will later need to pass a test
of their foreign language in both a written and a spoken format. The
candidates that earn scores of 70 and above in Arabic, Persian and
Armenian in the Foreign Language Exam for State Personnel (KPDS)
will be exempted from the foreign language test.