Author: nina hovnanian

FRENCH AUTHORITIES TRY TO DELAY BILL ON CRIMINALIZING DENIAL OF GENOCIDE – FRENCH MP

news.am
June 07, 2012 | 02:31

PARIS. – The new authorities of France do not want to start their
governance period with any disagreement with Turkey so they are trying
to delay the bill on criminalizing denial of genocides for a while,
French MP Hilda Tchoboian told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“It must be understood that the issue of criminalizing the denial
genocides in France is quite complex and multi-layered. We are
talking not only about historical justice and human rights, but
also the national interests of this country and its relations with
other states, strategic and geopolitical interests. Given all this,
the French authorities are trying not to touch the bill yet,” she said.

According to her, the Armenian community of France must do everything
so that the bill will not be forgotten. As Armenian News-NEWS.am
reported earlier, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius touched upon
the Armenian issue in an interview with Le Monde.

“As regards the Armenian issue, we must consider the decision of the
Constitutional Council,” he said.

BAKO SAHAKYAN: AZERBAIJAN’S PROVOCATIONS AIMED AT DESTABILIZING THE SITUATION IN THE REGION

ARMRADIO.AM
07.06.2012 12:17

President of the Nagorno Karabakh Bako Sahakyan met with the Personal
Representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office, Ambassador Andrzej
Kasprzyk.

Issues related to the current stage of negotiations on the settlement
of the Karabakh conflict and its perspectives, as well as the situation
along the line of contact between the NKR and Azerbaijan armed forces
were discussed during the meeting.

President Sahakyan characterized the latest gross violations of the
cease-fire regime by Azerbaijan as provocations aimed at destabilizing
the situation in the region and undermining the efforts of the
mediator countries and stressed the necessity of carrying out steps
to neutralize such a behavior, Central Information Department of the
Office of the NKR President reports.

LE DOSSIER DINK PAS ENCORE ENVOYE DEVANT LA COUR DE CASSATION
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 7 juin 2012

Après la decision d’une cour de condamner un suspect a la prison a vie
en acquittant tous les autres suspects accuses d’avoir organises le
meurtre en 2007 de Hrant Dink, le dossier n’a pas encore ete envoye
devant la Cour de Cassation, bien que quatre mois et demi se soient
passes depuis le verdict.

Le 18 janvier, un jour après le verdict, le procureur Hikmet Usta a
annonce qu’il ferait appel devant la Cour de Cassation. Cependant,
le dossier ne peut pas etre envoye devant la cour d’appel avant que
la decision ne soit transmise a tous les accuses, leurs avocats et
les avocats des plaignants par ecrit.

Seyit Ahmet Kaya, l’avocat d’un des accuses Tuncay Uzundal, a dit
qu’il n’a pas recu la decision officielle. Toutes les autres parties
ont recu le verdict officiel par ecrit.

SERGE SARKISSIAN EN VISITE AU JAPON
Laetitia

armenews.com
jeudi 7 juin 2012

Le president Serge Sarkissian a rencontre le Premier ministre
japonais Yoshihiko Noda mercredi 6 juin 2012 lors d’une visite
officielle au Japon. L’accent a ete mis sur le developpement des
relations bilaterales et de la securite nucleaire. Une declaration
conjointe a ete signee par les deux dirigeants après des pourparlers :
le gouvernement armenien devra s’inspirer de l’experience japonaise
pour ameliorer la securite des operations de la centrale nucleaire
de Metsamor. Erevan devrait tiree des lecons du Japon, suite a la
catastrophe de Fukushima.

Le Premier ministre du Japon a souligne que son pays a l’intention
de partager avec la communaute internationale son experience pour
ameliorer la sûrete des centrales nucleaires. Les deux pays ont
souligne l’importance de la cooperation de l’Armenie avec le Japon
a ce sujet.

Après la catastrophe de Fukushima au Japon, certains ont demande aux
autorites de fermer la centrale nucleaire de Metsamor. Les ecologistes
locaux ont fait valoir que, tout comme le Japon, l’Armenie est situee
dans une region sismiquement active et sujette aux tremblements
de terre.

Les representants du gouvernement armenien et des experts nucleaires
ont rejete ces preoccupations, en disant que la conception de reacteur
Metsamor, qui date de l’ère sovietique, est differente de celle de
Fukushima et que l’installation est suffisamment fiable pour resister
a un seisme puissant.

Pourtant, le gouvernement armenien a engage en mars 2011 une
revision complète de la securite internationale de Metsamor. L’Agence
internationale de l’energie atomique (AIEA) a ensuite envoye ad hoc
une equipe operationnelle pour une inspection de deux semaines de la
centrale. En juin 2011, l’usine presentait un niveau ” acceptable ”
de risque pour l’environnement.

Sarkissian et Noda devraient a nouveau se rencontrer en decembre pour
participer a une conference internationale sur les retombees de la
catastrophe de Fukushima.

HILLARY CLINTON ” LA BALLE EST DANS LE CAMP DE LA TURQUIE ”
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 7 juin 2012

La secretaire d’Etat americaine Hillary Clinton a loue les recentes
elections parlementaires en Armenie et a reaffirme le fort soutien
de Washington pour une normalisation inconditionnelle des relations
turco-armeniennes lors d’une visite a Erevan.

Le court voyage court etait le deuxième d’Hillary Clinton en Armenie,
en Azerbaïdjan et en Georgie en deux ans. Elle comprenait des
pourparlers avec le President Serge Sarkissian et le Ministre des
Affaires Etrangères Edouard Nalbandian aussi bien qu’une discours
adresse aux militants des droits civils en Armenie.

” Nous avons le plaisir de voir que l’Armenie continue a travailler
pour renforcer ses realisations democratiques, promouvoir la
transparence, faire avancer les droits d’une presse libre, denicher
la corruption, respectent des droits universels et les libertes ”
a dit Hillary Clinton lors d’une conference de presse commune avec
Nalbandian.

” Je suis satisfaite des rapports des moniteurs internationaux au sujet
des elections parlementaires en Armenie le mois dernier qualifiees
generalement de democratiques où les candidats ont ete capables de
faire campagne pour la plupart sans interference ” a-t-elle dit.

” Il y a eu quelques problèmes electoraux qui ont ete identifies et
nous esperons que l’Armenie travaillera avec l’OSCE et d’autres pour
s’assurer que la prochaine election sera meme meilleure “.

Hillary Clinton a aussi pointe les efforts du gouvernement armenien
d’ameliorer l’environnement des affaires. ” Nous sommes heureux des
progrès que l’Armenie a fait et nous l’encourageons meme a plus de
progrès cette annee ” a-t-elle dit.

” Je suis convaincu que lâcher l’energie populaire des entrepreneurs
armeniens peut transformer l’economie et nous attendons avec impatience
d’etre votre associe dans cette action “.

Au niveau international Hillary Clinton a de nouveau approuve la
position d’Erevan a propos de ses relations avec Ankara.

” Nous soutenons fortement la ratification des protocoles
Turquie-Armenie sans conditions prealables ” a-t-elle dit. ” Nous
soutenons l’Armenie et le President Sarkisian pour la direction qu’ils
ont prise sur cette question “.

” Comme j’ai dit quand j’etais ici il y a deux ans, la balle reste dans
le camp de la Turquie ” a souligne la chef de la diplomatie americaine.

Edouard Nalbandian visiblement satisfait a parle de Washington et
Erevan comem ayant une ” approche commune ” quant a la normalisation
des relations turco-armeniennes.

” Cette position a ete et reste : la normalisation des relations sans
conditions prealables ” a-t-il dit.

Hillary Clinton a fait comprendre que les Etats-Unis resteront ”
très activement impliques ” dans des efforts internationaux en vue
d’ameliorer les liens turco-armeniens et mettre fin au conflit du
Karabakh. ” Il n’y a aucun lien entre le processus des protocoles
et les negociations sur le Nagorno-Karabakh car ils sont separes ”
a-t-elle dit.

BAKU DENIES CLAIMS ITS VIOLATION OF CEASEFIRE LED TO ARMENIAN FATALITIES

Interfax
June 4 2012
Russia

The Azeri Defense Ministry has denied Armenia’s claims that Azeri
troops have violated the ceasefire agreement.

“The Azeri Defense Ministry is denying Armenian media reports claiming
that Armenian servicemen were killed in an armed incident on the
contact line,” Azeri Defense Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu told
Interfax on Monday.

The Armenian Defense Ministry’s press service said earlier on Monday
that Armenian servicemen had not allowed an Azeri subversive group
to cross into northeastern Armenia.

“The Azeri side on June 4 again crudely violated the truce at the
northeastern stretch of the Armenian-Azeri border in an attempt to
reach Armenian combat positions near the villages of Berdavan and
Chinari in the Tavush region of Armenia. The enemy was driven out,”
the Armenian Defense Ministry said.

CLINTON WARNS OF WIDER CAUCASUS CONFLICT

Emirates 24/7

June 5 2012
UAE

Three Armenian soldiers die in border incident

By Reuters
Published Tuesday, June 05, 2012

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced concern on Monday
that violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan could lead to a broader
regional conflict as three Armenian soldiers died in a border incident.

Clinton began a trip to the South Caucasus region by calling on
all sides to renounce violence as the former Soviet republics traded
accusations over a clash that killed the Armenian soldiers and wounded
troops on both sides of their border.

“I am very concerned by these incidents and have called on all
parties, all actors, to refrain from the use or threat of force,”
Clinton told reporters at a news conference with Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian.

“There is a danger that it could escalate into a much broader conflict
that would be very tragic for everyone concerned,” she added.

War between ethnic Azeris and Armenians erupted in 1991 over the
mostly Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh region, which broke away from Muslim
Azerbaijan with the backing of Christian Armenia as the Soviet Union
collapsed two decades ago.

Sporadic violence still flares along a ceasefire line negotiated
in 1994. Some 30,000 people were killed and about 1 million became
refugees, the majority in Azerbaijan.

The last three years have seen skirmishes mainly on the frontline
around Nagorno-Karabakh, raising fears of a return to full-blown
conflict in the South Caucasus, an important route for oil and gas
from the Caspian region to Europe.

The latest incident, however, took place more than 400 kms away from
Nagorno-Karabakh.

ECONOMIC REFORM

Clinton’s South Caucasus trip will focus largely on security and
democratic reform in the region criss-crossed by energy pipelines,
fraught with territorial disputes and the site of a five-day war
between Russia and pro-western Georgia in 2008.

Clinton met Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan and Nalbandian during a
roughly five-hour visit to Yerevan. Speaking in the Aremenian capital,
Clinton urged Armenia and Turkey, whose border has been closed since
1993, to normalize relations.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in a gesture of solidarity with
ethnic kin in Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabkah conflict.

While Armenia and Turkey signed an agreement in October 2009 to
normalise relations, open the border and develop trade, tourism and
economic cooperation, they never ratified the pact.

The lack of a permanent settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
despite mediation led by France, Russia and the United States,
scuttled Ankara’s and Yerevan’s efforts to normalise relations.

Clinton also urged Armenia, whose closed borders with Azerbaijan and
Turkey make it dependent on Iran and on its former Soviet master
Moscow, to pursue reforms to improve its economy as well as to
strengthen democratic institutions.

“Private sector investors are looking for an open business climate with
predictable rules and independent judiciary, transparent regulations,
taxes and customs,” she said. While Clinton said that the United
States was at progress Armenia had made, she urged it to undertake
more economic reform this year.

>>From Yerevan, Clinton flew to Georgia’s Black Sea resort of Batumi
where she will spend two nights before traveling to Azerbaijan,
where her visit has been carefully calibrated to spend roughly the
same amount of time as she did in Armenia.

HILLARY CLINTON FELICITE L’ARMENIE
Laetitia

armenews.com
mercredi 6 juin 2012

Le Parti Republicain d’Armenie (HHK)a affirme que la secretaire
d’Etat americaine a fait un bilan largement positif des elections
legislatives du mois dernier et des reformes mises en ~uvre par
le gouvernement du president Serge Sarkissian. ” Naturellement,
l’evaluation positive de la secretaire d’Etat americaine sur les
elections du 6 mai est très important pour nous “, a declare Eduard
Sharmazanov, le porte-parole du HHK. ” Dans le passe, le Departement
d’Etat a souvent ete plus critique sur les elections armeniennes,
alors qu’aujourd’hui la secretaire d’Etat est très positive au sujet
des reformes democratiques mises en ~uvre en Armenie “, a-t-il dit.

S’exprimant a l’issue des entretiens avec Serge Sarkissian a Erevan,
Hillary Clinton a dit qu’elle etait très heureuse du rapport des
observateurs occidentaux sur les elections du 6 mai. Elle a egalement
salue les efforts de l’administration de Serge Sarkissian.

Le porte-parole du parti au pouvoir, qui est aussi l’un des deux
vice-presidents du nouveau parlement armenien, a egalement souligne
l’importance des declarations de Hillary Clinton sur la normalisation
des relations turco-armeniennes.

Hillary Clinton a de nouveau approuve le point de vue officiel
d’Erevan sur le fait que la Turquie devrait ratifier les accords
de normalisation signes avec l’Armenie en 2009 ” sans conditions
prealables “.

MAN SENTENCED FOR LIFE IMPRISONMENT WON CASE AGAINST ARMENIA IN EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

news.am
June 05, 2012 | 21:23

STRASBOURG. – Armenian Ararat Muradkhanyan, sentenced for life
imprisonment for premeditated murder of several individuals in 2002 in
Yerevan, won the case against the Republic of Armenia at the European
Court of Human Rights.

According to the court, the state must pay Muradkhanyan ~@6,000 for
non-pecuniary damage. The European Court satisfied only one claim by
the applicant, rejecting the others.

Muradhkhanyan blamed Armenian authorities for violating some points
of Convention of Human Rights and demanded compensation in the amount
of ~@100,000 in respect of pecuniary damage, as well as ~@250,000 in
respect of non-pecuniary damage.

However, according to the court, Armenia must pay the applicant
Muradhkhanyan only ~@6,000 out of the claimed amount of ~@350,000.

AZERBAIJANI CAPTIVE REFUSES TO RETURN HOMELAND

news.am
June 05, 2012 | 18:14

YEREVAN. – Azerbaijani serviceman Mamedbagir Ahunadze Talib-oglu,
who is captive in Armenia since the beginning of the year, confirms he
does not want to return homeland, Armenian Commission on POWs, Hostages
and Missing People head Armen Kaprielyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Earlier Armenian News-NEWS.am informed that the Azerbaijani serviceman
has crossed the Karabakh-Azerbaijani border on January 23. The
commission head met with the Azerbaijani servicemen, while Ahunadze
has stated that he has no desire to return homeland.