Author: nina hovnanian

HAYATSK: MYSTERY OF ALBERTS IN ETCHMIADZIN

Panorama.am
20/04/2012

It proves that there are around 40 people named Albert Sargsyan in
Etchmiadzin, and it is not clear whether they are alive or dead,
Hayatsk reports. Etchmiadzin police look for these 40 Alberts in
their registration address.

Regarding inaccuracies on voter lists in Etchmiadzin and its
neighboring villages, the paper says that district police are
responsible for cases featuring dead people’s names appearing on
voter lists.

“Any police officer found in inaccuracy will face strict reprimand
or sack,” the paper says.

WHO SHOULD BE LISTENING TO THE WARNING BELLS OF APRIL 24?
by Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu*

Today’s Zaman
*.html
April 18 2012
Turkey

Turkey has been able to maintain a firm stance regarding the Armenian
matters that have at times occupied the global agenda in recent years.

This year it appears it will be able to brush off the whole April 24
syndrome. But another side to the issue presents us with a different
reality; a process guided by different strategies has begun for the
Armenians, who appear, from the outside, to be the losing side.

In recent times, the Armenian diaspora has tried every method possible
to keep this issue from sliding out of the global spotlight. There
appear to be no limits to what this diaspora will do in terms of
increasing anti-Turkey activities in the countries where they reside,
scrutinizing topics sensitive to Turkey’s national and international
policies and then presenting these topics to the world. As for Turkey’s
efforts to form some sort of dialogue with the said diaspora, they
have so far gone unaccepted.

France, which seems unruffled by the idea of experiencing a crisis
with Turkey, has even shot a bullet into its own foot in order to
be able to pick up the vote of the Armenians. Its most recent acts
with regards to the Armenian issue, however, did not bring about the
desired effect. After the brief crisis between Turkey and France,
Armenia — pushed by increased prompting from members of its diaspora
— said that France had not done enough on this question, and noted it
would be ratcheting up its own lobbying activities. In the meantime,
relations between Armenia — which says, “If not France, then the
US,” — and Turkey are in a frozen state, with no movement either
forward or backward on this front. In Turkey, the subject comes up
only during parliamentary or presidential election periods, or is
used as a vehicle for propaganda in national politics. In Armenia,
however, the topic is followed closely, and there is pride expressed
in the steps being taken by others in the name of Armenia. A recent
attack on Turkish stands at a book trade fair in France by an Armenian
group was heralded in Armenia as an act of heroism. The same stance was
displayed when Armenians in Lebanon attacked Turkish politicians. This
stance is encouraged by the mentality of the Armenian Secret Army
for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA), which saw Turkish diplomats
murdered in the Cold War period with the belief that “everything can
be justified when it comes to this issue.”

Realpolitik is winning

But realpolitik is a different matter altogether, and unfortunately
both Armenia and its diaspora ignore this fact. In the end, realpolitik
is winning, and with their hurried and uncalculated approaches,
they are actually damaging themselves. The country where Armenians
who oppose Turkey feel most at home these days is France.

But any further steps France might take on this matter are sure
to further damage Turkish-French relations, and thus there can
be no developments therein. To wit, Turkey has already made its
resolve clear on this matter. Level-headed French politicians have
made it quite clear that they find these demands from Armenians —
demands which limit freedom of thought — completely unreasonable,
and that France has more important issues to deal with these days. One
important question that begs research is why it is that during times
when right-wing politics is on the rise, and when minorities are
under so much pressure, are Armenians treated to such a different
approach in France? The answer is that this is entirely the result
of the effective workings of the diaspora. And in response, Turkey
needs to make some serious efforts. Otherwise, this cold war will
rob it of energy for many more years to come. It is not possible to
enter into dialogue with the diaspora, since what actually nourishes
the diaspora is conflict. But more reasonable steps taken by Armenia
itself may in fact clear the path for dialogue.

Mistakes made by Armenia in its foreign political maneuvers are a
frequent topic for debate in Armenia, but since the same rhetoric gets
repeated over and over, no new ideas ever seem to come about. This,
in turn, makes their arguments seem less and less plausible. Armenia
states: “Turkey must not get involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh
question. If it can refrain from doing so, we are prepared to develop
our relations with it.” But what is not being talked about here is that
it would actually be an economically weak Armenia which would benefit
most from the development of relations with Turkey. The conflicting
aspects of Armenian foreign policy and politics are largely rooted in
foreign dependence. The very foundation of its foreign politics is
riddled with errors this way. We see the same problems that started
in 1918, when the first Armenian republic was formed. At that time,
Armenia was not able to bring about its independence by its own hand,
and was in a state of conflict with Azerbaijan, a state to which it
later added both Turkey and Georgia.

Over time, a foreign policy rooted in the rhetoric of “saving
historical Armenian lands” was formed, which is when Armenia tried
to take over the southern reaches of Georgia. Today, it follows the
same incompatible sort of policies with all its neighbors. And it
is the cornerstone of these policies that holds Turkey responsible
on the question of 1915. As a result, Armenia gives off the image
of being a country constantly oppressed by others, and a country
which tries to solve problems through conflict. It is, in the end,
Armenia which is damaged by this.

Turkey has taken the right step in trying to broach peace with
Armenia in recent years. These steps on Turkey’s part have led to
the erasure of the previously held image of Turkey around the world
as being an oppressive, embargo-wielding nation. Turkey does believe
that the correct diplomacy can bring about peace, and it follows the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue closely with the hopes of seeing regional
stability settled. As it stands today, Turkey affirms that peace
can be brought about if an important problem like Nagorno-Karabakh
is actually solved. And this is thus a critical matter which Armenia
needs to urgently accept. But of course, to what extent can Armenia act
out of its own will and volition? That in itself is a whole different
question. Turkey, which sees its own stance maintained as April 24
rolls around this year, needs to watch the upcoming elections in
Armenia closely. It is quite clear that this year’s April 24 will
see the stances embraced by Armenia and all its supporters in the
diaspora become clearer; it will also be a time when new strategies
emerge. This is because there is very little time left until 2015. One
must not forget that in 2015, the arguments will not come to any
sort of conclusion, but that instead, it is the year when the real
propaganda wars will start up.

*Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu is a strategic outlook expert with the

Yerevan European Regional Academy.

NINE BRIEFLY DETAINED OVER ANTI-ARMENIAN BANNERS AT KHOJALY RALLY

Today’s Zaman
April 18 2012
Turkey

Following an investigation into the use of racist slogans and banners
at a rally in Ä°stanbul in February marking the 20th anniversary of
the Khojaly massacre, the Ä°stanbul Prosecutor’s Office questioned
nine people on Wednesday.

Upon the request of prosecutors, Ä°stanbul police took nine people
into custody, including two women. The suspects stated in their
testimonies that the banners they held were given to them by other
people at the rally, and the prosecutor later decided that all nine
people should be released.

Tens of thousands of Turks and Azerbaijanis took to the streets in
Ä°stanbul in February to stage what they called “an unprecedented
massive rally” to mark the 20th anniversary of one of the most tragic
massacres in recent history. Some protesters held banners that featured
offensive statement and chanted racist slogans against Armenians during
the rally, which organizers said cast a shadow over the peaceful nature
of the march. The slogans caused much outrage among the Turkish public.

Azerbaijani authorities say 613 Azerbaijanis were brutally killed by
the Armenian military and hundreds are still missing after Armenian
troops rushed into the village of Khojaly on Feb. 26, 1992. The attack
appalled Azerbaijanis and became a symbol of Armenian aggression
against Azerbaijan.

ICELAND MPS SUBMIT PROPOSAL FOR RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CLAIMS

Today’s Zaman
April 18 2012
Turkey

Icelandic parliamentarians have submitted a proposal urging the
country’s government to officially recognize Armenian claims of
genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, an Armenian news report
has said.

The initiative was proposed by parliamentarian Margrйt
TryggvadÑ~Cttir, a member of The Movement party, earlier this week,
according to the report by panarmenian.net.

The initiative was also supported by two other members of The
Movement, ЮÑ~Cr Saari and Birgitta JÑ~CnsdÑ~Cttir, as well as
Lilja MÑ~CsesdÑ~Cttir and GuÑ~@mundur Steingrнmsson, chairs of the
Solidarity and Bright Future parties.

Turkey rejects the genocide claims, saying there were killings on both
sides as the Ottoman Empire was trying to quell an uprising by Armenian
groups in collaboration with the Russian army, which was then invading
eastern Anatolia. The proposal in Iceland comes after Turkish-French
relations were strained over a French attempt to criminalize denial
of the alleged genocide. On Jan. 23, the French Senate passed a bill
making the denial of genocide claims a crime after it passed the lower
house of the French Parliament on Dec. 22 of last year. Turkey said
the bill violated the principle of freedom of expression.

The French Constitutional Council later annulled the bill, saying it
was against the constitutional principle of freedom of expression.

AZERBAIJAN-ISRAEL: FIRM ALLIANCE? (1)
ZAUR SHIRIYEV

Today’s Zaman
April 18 2012
Turkey

Conspiracy theories about Israeli-Azerbaijan arms deals are abound,
each new one spawning the next. One immediate effect of this is
that Azerbaijan’s strategic partnership with Tel-Aviv has become
more costly; the relationship has always carried concerns about the
potential impact on bilateral relations with Turkey, as well as with
other Muslim countries.

In fact, until 2008, Israel, with strong US support, was a vital
external supporter of the Turkey-Azerbaijan-Georgian geopolitical
axis. But 2009 saw a deep crisis in Turkish-Israeli relations, when
Turkey condemned Israel’s involvement in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Suddenly Baku was Israel’s only strategic ally in the Muslim world —
historically Azerbaijan followed Turkey and Egypt in developing deeper
bilateral strategic and economic relations with Israel. And until
2009, this balance continued, never questioned by Turkey. However,
there is a growing tendency in Turkey, among the public as well as
government officials, to wonder openly about Azerbaijan’s allegiances.

Since the deterioration of Ankara-Tel Aviv relations, Azerbaijan
has faced a dilemma: can an enemy of a friend be a friend? Baku has
followed the Jewish aphorism, “Don’t sell the sun to buy a candle,”
and has tried to maintain cordial relations with the two countries.

Thus at this point, the Azerbaijan-Israel relationship can best
be described as “strategic, but not diplomatic.” Here are some
perspectives on the broader geopolitical significance of the dilemma:

Azerbaijan-Israel thaw related to Washington’s policy shift not
Turkey’s spat with Israel It is a misunderstanding that Israel
developed its partnership with Baku, in order to maintain its
only Muslim alliance, after losing the strategic partnership with
Turkey. In fact, it’s much more to do with US foreign policy towards
Turkey. Since 2008, Washington seems to have moved away from the
Caucasus, and therefore it is in US interests to maintain its strategic
interest in the countries of the Caucasus via Israel. It’s difficult
to believe that the United States and Israel are not coordinating
their activities in the Caucasus. Moreover, Azerbaijan and Georgia
see Israel as a messenger to the US, and as a country that can help
them strengthen relations with Washington.

Azerbaijan’s partnership with Israel is in Ankara’s interests
When Turkey’s relations with Israel deteriorated, strengthening the
anti-Israeli front in the Middle East, one of Israel’s main strategies
was to take counter-measures against Turkey by establishing close
cooperation with the Armenian diaspora in the US, and beginning talks
about recognizing the 1915 events as a genocide. In December 2011,
when the Israeli Knesset began to discuss the prospect of officially
recognizing 1915, the Azerbaijani diaspora, namely the Association
Israel-Azerbaijan (AZIZ), denied the genocide, and called for the
government to refrain from making any official statements, and wait
for the decision to be made in an international, academic forum.

Hence, in the end Israel decided not to recognize the 1915 events
as genocide, from which one can conclude that they were wary of
touching upon issues sensitive to Azerbaijan, and understood that
any dalliances with the Armenian lobby would be harshly criticized
by Azerbaijan. Furthermore, as part of their strategic alliance with
Azerbaijan, Israel and the Jewish lobby have refused to support the
genocide resolution in the US and have assisted Turkish efforts to
block it.

Azerbaijan is vital for Israel’s energy sector This might seem
surprising, but by 2009 Azerbaijan was providing 25-30 percent of all
Israeli oil imports and according to the State Customs Committee of
Azerbaijan, Israel was Azerbaijan’s sixth largest trading partner,
with a turnover of $295.9 million in January and February 2012. An
indication of the existence of this odd alliance is that Israeli
companies are active in the Azerbaijani energy sector: Modcon Systems
Ltd., an Israel-based supplier of high-level technology to the oil and
gas industries, has a branch in Azerbaijan. Further, given that Israel
cannot buy gas from Iran under the current conditions of hostility, and
in light of the fact that Iraq and Israel have technically been at war
since 1948, Baku is the country’s only potential gas supplier. But this
reliance on Baku depends on the countries relations with Turkey; if
they improve, Israel may consider building an underwater gas pipeline
to Haifa and an oil pipeline extension from Ceyhan to Ashkelon to
reduce their reliance on Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan supported Palestine and Lebanon despite good relations with
Israel Even with the strong economic and political cooperation between
Azerbaijan and Israel, Azerbaijan sided with Palestine. The Azerbaijani
government decided to send an official delegation to the Organization
of Islamic Conference (OIC- now Organization of Islamic Cooperation)
Parliamentary Assembly on the crisis in Gaza. In addition, last year
Palestine opened an embassy in Azerbaijan, in line with Baku’s legal
recognition of an independent, sovereign state of Palestine. To
put this in context, Baku has supported all international legal
documents that address the Israel-Palestinian issue. When Israel
occupied Lebanon, Azerbaijan was one of the eight OIC states to send
an ultimatum to Israel to stop violent action in Lebanon. Baku also
agreed to send peacekeeping forces to Lebanon.

“Shared strategic interests” Azerbaijan-Israel relations are based on
the exchange of oil for technology and military equipment. This quid
pro quo of “shared strategic interests” means the containment of Iran,
and to a lesser extent Russia. This shared interest dates back to the
1990s when Iran was supplying natural gas and fuel to Armenia, which
helped sustain Armenian action, with Iran using Armenia as a potential
buffer against the future rise of Azerbaijan. In contrast, during the
Nagorno-Karabakh war Israel provided military equipment, including
Stinger missiles, to Azerbaijan. That had a major impact on Iranian
and Azerbaijani relations; two traditional neighbors became “rival
brothers”, and at the same time Israel moved from being a friend to a
strategic partner for Azerbaijan. In recent years this cooperation has
gained new meaning, as Iran has directly or indirectly sought to start
a proxy war, supporting terrorist actions in Azerbaijani territory.

Next we will address the question: is this relationship like an
iceberg, nine-tenths below the surface?

KIM KARDASHIAN PLANS TO RUN FOR MAYOR
By Melissa Noble

OK! Magazine
April 17 2012

Photography by: Splash News

Will Kim Kardashian get your vote for mayor?

Yes, you read that sentence correctly.

Kim — feeling restless in her roles as reality TV star, girlfriend
of Kanye West and sometimes actress — tells sister Khloe she plans
to transition into politics.

OK! NEWS: KHLOE KARDASHIAN WEIGHS IN ON KIM KARDASHIAN AND KANYE
WEST’S ROMANCE: ‘THEY’RE CUTE TOGETHER.’

Kim wants to purchase a home in Glendale, Calif. (an L.A. suburb)
and run for mayor of the city in about “five years.”

So, why Glendale, Kim?

“It’s an Armenian town,” she tells her sister in an unaired clip from
Sunday’s Khloe & Lamar.

OK! NEWS: KIM KARDASHIAN CONFESSES ON ‘KOURTNEY & KIM’ THAT SHE
MARRIED KRIS HUMPHRIES ‘TOO FAST’

What do you think? Is Kim getting carried away or can you picture
her holding public office?

Watch the clip at

KIM KARDASHIAN WANTS TO BE MAYOR… OF GLENDALE?

Pasadena Sun
,0,2481857.story
April 17 2012
CA

Though hard for me to admit reading the gossip wires, this was a
tidbit a bit too juicy to pass up: Kim Kardashian wants to be the
mayor of the Jewel City.

Seriously.

“I decided…I’m gonna run for the mayor of Glendale…but it’s gonna
be in like five years,” she said according to Radar Online.

Kardashian, who made the statements on an unaired clip of Khole &
Lamar, said the fit was a natural because Glendale is an “Armenian
town.”

The mayor of Glendale, of course, is an appointed position, chosen
each year among the sitting members of the council. Given the recent
difficulty the council had in choosing its most recent mayor, one
can only imagine the back-in-forth that would precede a Kardashian
administration.

First, though, she’d have to get on the council. Now that would be
an election season. It might even improve the quality of our local
council watchers – aesthetically, anyhow.

— Dan Evans, Times Community News

ARMENIAN FUND IN ISTANBUL SUES CITY HALL FOR LAND

Vastnik Kavkaza
April 17 2012
Russia

A Turkish court has sustained the claim of a fund of the St. Nikogos
Armenian church against the Mayor of Istanbul. The plaintiff demanded
the return of a piece of land with a territory of 37,500 square meters,
News.am reports, referring to the Turkish newspaper “Sabah”.

The Chairman of the Armenian church fund, Varuzhan Maghakyan, said the
church has been waiting for years for the court decision on this issue.

PARTIES ‘COOPERATE FOR REGIME CHANGE’
Sargis Harutyunyan, Ruzanna Stepanian

18.04.2012

Armenia – Armen Rustamian, a leader of the opposition Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, addresses a campaign rally in Armavir,
17 Apr 2012.

Three leading political forces that have pledged to jointly fight for
the fairness of next month’s parliamentary elections are ultimately
interested in changing Armenia’s current government, a leader of
the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun)
said on Wednesday.

“The goal is not only election oversight but to ensure that elections
in Armenia become means of changing the government,” Armen Rustamian
told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). “Unfortunately, this
has not been the case in Armenia until now.”

“Changing this situation is beneficial for those political forces that
really want regime change and want to change the government without
upheavals, without putting the public and our fellow citizens at
risk,” Rustamian said, referring to Dashnaktsutyun, the opposition
Armenian National Congress (HAK) and the Prosperous Armenia Party
(BHK), a member of the governing coalition.

The three election contenders decided to set up the Inter-Party
Center for Public Oversight of the Elections on April 4. BHK leader
Gagik Tsarukian and the HAK’s Levon Ter-Petrosian stressed on Tuesday
that they have struck no far-reaching political deals and are only
cooperating on the proper conduct of the May 6 polls.

Rustamian argued, though, that regime change will happen
“automatically” if elections held in Armenia are truly democratic. “If
we create an environment where democratic elections take place,
this issue will be solved,” he said.

Rustamian spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian service after attending a third
meeting of senior Dashnaktsutyun, BHK and HAK figures that discussed
details of the anti-fraud center’s activities. They named three
individuals who will coordinate the center’s work.

Predictably, the meeting was boycotted by another major opposition
party, Zharangutyun. It was initially ready to join the task force
but demanded that the top leaders of the participating forces and
Tsarukian in particular personally commit themselves to combating
electoral fraud. Zharangutyun leaders have also accused the HAK and
Tsarukian’s party of having ulterior motives.

The Zharangutyun criticism and allegations were dismissed by the
participants of Wednesday’s meeting. “Regarding those absent from
the task force, I have doubts as to whether they really want free
and fair elections,” said Vartan Oskanian, a former foreign minister
representing the BHK.

Oskanian and Rustamian also condemned recent days’ reported attacks
on HAK activists campaigning in a Yerevan district dominated by a
government-linked businessman. “These are unfortunate incidents. I
think they must be promptly condemned and prevented because they
cast shadow on the fairness and, at the end of the day, results of
the elections,” Oskanian told reporters.

The BHK representative added that the violence ran counter to
President Serzh Sarkisian’s repeated calls for election contenders
to show mutual tolerance and avoid “hostility.” “I’m glad that the
president of the republic is making such calls,” “But right now they
seem to be neglected,” he said.

DEUKMEJIAN ENDORSES GREG KRIKORIAN

asbarez
Tuesday, April 17th, 2012

Gov. Deukmejian with Greg Krikorian

GLENDALE-Greg Krikorian’s campaign to become the next Assemblyman for
the newly redrawn 43rd State Assembly District, received yet another
endorsement from a California political icon. Former California
Governor George Deukmejian has endorsed Krikorian’s candidacy.

“I am truly humbled to receive Governor Deukmejian’s endorsement. Over
the course of my career in public service, Governor Deukmejian has
been an inspiration to me,” stated Krikorian. “He embodies all the
qualities those of us who aspire to be in public office should have –
integrity, dignity and a dedication to those he represents, not to
special interests.”

Seldom in the public eye for the last few years, Governor Deukmejian
has stepped forward and voiced his support for Krikorian. “California
can no longer afford ‘politics as usual’, with a revolving door
legislature which replaces one bureaucrat with another,” commented
Deukmejian. “We need fresh leaders to move our state beyond the status
quo and break the partisan barriers. During his last eleven years on
the Glendale School Board and publishing Business Life Magazine for the
past 22 years with his father John Krikorian, Greg has demonstrated
himself to be such a leader who is dedicated to our country. He has
all my support.”

“In many ways, the challenges we face today are not unlike the
challenges the Governor faced when he took office. At that time,
California had a $1.5 billion budget deficit with an unemployment rate
of 11.2%. His policies dug California out from under and generated
a billion dollar surplus in just a few short years. I look forward
to tackling the challenges we have today and work to reverse the
unsustainable course California has been placed on. Like Governor
Deukmejian, I oppose tax increases as a way out of our budget crisis
and will work to implement sensible policies to put us back on the
path of prosperity and sustainability,” added Krikorian

“We have to make every effort to renew our quest to create job
opportunities for our residents! I’m committed to advocate for jobs
and small business, we need to get back to the basics to attract
and retain business. Unfortunately, the norm of today is to see far
too many businesses closing their doors on a daily basis after being
strangled by over regulation. Our state’s economic crisis directly
and negatively affects our public safety, education, healthcare,
and senior services to name a few,” stated Krikorian

“Public education funding continues to decline forcing many schools to
increase class size, lay off teachers and cut crucial programs. Having
three of my five children in college, I see first hand their and
other student’s challenges, either ending up on a waiting list or
even being denied the opportunity to get an education. Its come to a
point were our government has grown too big and is denying our youth
the opportunity for the American Dream,” said Krikorian.

The newly redrawn 43rd Assembly district serves Burbank, Glendale,
La Crescenta, Montrose, La Canada, Atwater Village, Los Feliz, East
Hollywood, Little Armenia and Griffith Park. The primary is this June
6th and the General Election is November 5th 2012.

For more information please visit Greg’s campaign website at
and follow us on Facebook.