ARMENIAN YOUNG FOOTBALLERS PLAY A DRAW WITH THE FRENCH TEAM
armradio.am
16.11.2007 15:46
The youth national football team of Armenia played a 1:1 draw with
young footballers of France in the friendly match held 15 November
in France. The French scores the first goal in the first half, in
the second half Gevorg Nranyan equalized the score.
The chief trainer of the Armenian youth football team is Varizhan
Sukiasyan.
;18883/
I n Lviv Armenian Church Preserves Ararat Stone
08.11.2007, [17:50] // Armenian Catholic //
Lviv – These days, in the building of the Lviv City Council, a ceremony was
held to transfer a stone from the Ararat Mountain to the representatives of
the Aikazung Armenian youth Community in western Ukrainian Lviv. Fr. Tadeos,
the minister of the ancient Armenian Church in Lviv, promised to keep the
gift in the church building. day.kiev.ua posted the news.
NAGORNO-KARABAKH: RISKING WAR
International Crisis Group
=5157&l=2
Nov 14 2007
Belgium
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Armenia and Azerbaijan have failed to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, even though the framework for a fair settlement has been
on the table since 2005. A comprehensive peace agreement before
presidential elections in both countries in 2008 is now unlikely but
the two sides still can and should agree before the polls to a document
on basic principles, which if necessary clearly indicates the points
that are still in dispute. Without at least such an agreement and
while they engage in a dangerous arms race and belligerent rhetoric,
there is a risk of increasing ceasefire violations in the next few
years. By about 2012, after which its oil revenue is expected to begin
to decline, Azerbaijan may be tempted to seek a military solution. The
international community needs to lose its complacency and do more to
encourage the leaderships to prepare their societies for compromise
and peace.
In 2006 the co-chairs of the Minsk Group (France, Russia, the U.S.),
authorised by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) to facilitate negotiations, proposed principles for settlement:
renunciation of the use of force; Armenian withdrawal from parts
of Azerbaijan surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh; an interim status for
Nagorno-Karabakh, with substantial international aid, including
peacekeepers; and mutual commitment to a vote on Nagorno-Karabakh’s
final status after the return of displaced Azeris.
These principles, which were essentially identical to those proposed
by Crisis Group a year earlier, still offer the best framework for a
deal. Indeed, the sides have publicly said they generally agree with
the concept but lack of political will to resolve the remaining key
issues, especially the Lachin corridor, has undermined the process
and turned stakeholder optimism into cynicism. None of the parties
feels that there is any urgency to settle the conflict.
Azeri and Armenian leaders have also failed to engage their
constituents in discussion of the merits of peace. The European Union
(EU), the U.S. and Russia have not effectively employed political and
economic pressure for a settlement. The anticipated focus on domestic
politics in Yerevan and Baku as well as several of the Minsk Group
countries in 2008 means that even the incremental diplomatic progress
that has been made could well be lost.
Oil money has given Azerbaijan new self-confidence and the means to
upgrade its armed forces. It seems to want to postpone any peace deal
until the military balance has shifted decisively in its favour.
Yerevan, which itself has done surprisingly well economically,
has also become more intransigent and increased its own military
expenditures. It believes that time is on its side, that
Nagorno-Karabakh’s de facto independence will become a reality
increasingly difficult to ignore. Playing for time is dangerous for
all concerned, however. The riskiest period could be around 2012, when
Azerbaijan’s oil money is likely to begin to dwindle, and a military
adventure might seem a tempting way to distract citizens from economic
crisis. Important oil and gas pipelines near Nagorno-Karabakh would
likely be among the first casualties of a new war, something Europe
and the U.S. in particular have an interest in avoiding.
The wider international community, not just Minsk Group co-chairs,
should coordinate efforts to impress on Baku and Yerevan the need
for progress, specifically early agreement on a basic principles
document. Nagorno-Karabakh needs to be put at the centre of relations
with both countries. The EU special representative in the region should
become more active on the issue, and the EU should use the first
reviews of its action plans with both countries to promote conflict
resolution and the development of transparent, credible institutions
which can underpin peace efforts. Engagement is needed now to avoid
the danger of war in a few years.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan:
1. Agree before the 2008 elections on a document of basic principles
making provision for:
(a) security guarantees and the deployment of international
peacekeepers;
(b) withdrawal of Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh forces from all
occupied territories adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh, with special
modalities for Kelbajar and Lachin;
(c) return of displaced persons;
(d) Nagorno-Karabakh’s final status to be determined eventually by
a vote, with an interim status to be settled on until that time; and
(e) reopening of all transport and trade routes.
2. Failing consensus on a comprehensive document, agree what can be
agreed and clearly identify the points still in dispute.
3. Encourage politicians to make positive references to peace and
the need for compromise in their 2008 election campaigns.
To the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the De Facto
Nagorno-Karabakh Authorities:
4. Respect the 1994 ceasefire, refrain from the use of force, halt
the rise of defence budgets and cease belligerent and provocative
rhetoric directed at the other.
5. Promote track two diplomacy and debate about compromise solutions,
including on the above principles, encourage parliaments to lead
these debates and facilitate contacts between Azeris and Armenians.
6. The de facto Nagorno-Karabakh authorities should end support for
settlement of occupied territories with Armenians, including putting
an end to privatisation, infrastructure development and establishment
of local government structures in those areas;
7. Azerbaijan should allow Karabakh Azeris to elect the head of
their community and make a concerted effort to increase transparency
and reduce corruption so that oil revenues are used to benefit all
citizens, particularly internally displaced persons (IDPs).
To the Minsk Group Co-Chairs (France, Russia, the U.S.) and the Wider
International Community:
8. Make a renewed effort to secure agreement on basic principles,
with remaining points of disagreement clearly indicated, in order to
maintain continuity in the process and to provide a starting point
for negotiations between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
after the 2008 elections.
9. Raise the seniority of the co-chair representatives and make
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict a key element of bilateral
and multilateral relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan.
10. Make public more information on the substance of negotiations
and avoid artificially fuelling expectations by overly optimistic
statements.
11. In the case of the European Union:
(a) increase the role of the Special Representative for the South
Caucasus (EUSR), who should observe the Minsk process, support direct
contacts with all parties, travel to Nagorno-Karabakh, visit IDPs in
Azerbaijan and, with the Commission, assess conflict-related funding
needs; and
(b) use European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) reviews and funding to
promote confidence building, as well as institution building and
respect for human rights and the rule of law.
ASSEMBLY OF HHK REMINDED BREJNEV PERIOD
A1+
[05:14 pm] 13 November, 2007
The assembly of the "Republican Party of Armenia" (HHK) made a
depressive influence on Hmayak Hovhanissyan, head of the politicians’
union "since it reminded the latest assembles of Brejnev period". He
considers that the depressing atmosphere of the assembly did not
correspond to the path our country adopted 16 years ago or aimed at
following the path.
"This assembly was depressing by its atmosphere and by the tone of
speeches, by the faces that had come to prove that they were the
members of the party to open ways for their personal progress,-said
the politician.
Hmayak Hovhanissyan is confirmed that "the death of public politics is
impending and the organizers of such assemblies consider themselves
modern political actors". The modern world denies holding similar
assemblies. "This was a Bolshevik assembly, where only one viewpoint
was presented and everyone welcomed it, everyone agreed with each other
as if there were no disputable issues or problems in our country".
Hmayak Hovhanissyan also reflected on Segre Sargsyan’s speech where
he announced that the spiritual father of the "Armenian National
Movement" wanted to "destroy the state". "One should have a great
imagination to accuse the founder of the Republic of anti-republican
activities, but when people come together for an objective, to share
the money of the country, to waste the prosperity of the country,
then the imagination should have ardent manifestations".
BULGARIA, ARMENIA TO SEAL TRANSPORT, TOURISM AGREEMENTS
Sofia News Agency, Bulgaria
Nov 13 2007
Transport and tourism agreements are among the papers to be signed
Tuesday by Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev and his Armenian
counterpart Serj Sarkisian.
The officials will also seal an agreement, which is to regulate the
back transfer of illegal immigrants between the two countries.
The industrial and agriculture relations between Bulgaria and Armenia
will be strengthened by signing another two papers.
There will be officially founded a Bulgarian-Armenian economic
commission as well.
All the documents are to be sealed in the framework of PM Stanishev’s
visit to Yerevan.
ARMENIA, BULGARIA LOOK TO BOOST BILATERAL TRADE
By Shakeh Avoyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 13 2007
Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev began an official to Yerevan
Tuesday with talks with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian
that focused on ways of boosting the presently modest trade between
their nations.
The talks were followed by the signing of five agreements which
they said will strengthen Armenian-Bulgarian relations. One of
those agreements provides for the creation of an inter-governmental
commission on bilateral economic cooperation.
Stanishev pointed out at an ensuing news conference that
Armenian-Bulgarian trade amounted to only $30 million last year.
"This is not enough," he said.
"The volume of commercial exchange between us is really very small
given our potential," agreed Sarkisian. He lamented the fact that
it is dominated by Armenian imports of petrol and other oil products
from Bulgarian.
"We can import a lot more commodities from Bulgaria," said Sarkisian.
"And there are Armenian products which would sell in the Bulgarian
market."
The Armenian premier added that he accepted Stanishev’s proposal to
hold next year an Armenian-Bulgarian business forum that will explore
possibilities of increasing bilateral commerce and other economic
ties. He said they instructed the newly formed joint commission to
start "serious preparations" for the forum.
The two men also described the existence of an 11,000-strong Armenian
community in Bulgarian as a major factor that can contribute to the
strengthening of relations between the two countries. "There are
all the historical and cultural prerequisites for forging closer and
friendlier links with the two nations," said Stanishev.
TURKISH GOV’T TO REFORM A LAW CURBING EXPRESSION
Xinhua General News Service
November 6, 2007 Tuesday 1:00 PM EST
Turkish government has finished reforming a law curbing freedom of
expression and the proposal would be brought to parliament in the
coming days for a vote, a Turkish TV channel reported on Tuesday.
The TV channel quoted the Turkish Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin as
saying that its government had finished work on reforming a law which
was criticized by the European Union (EU) for curbing free speech.
Early Tuesday, the EU said in its annual report on Turkey that
it was concerned about the law, which makes it a crime to insult
Turkish identity or the country’s institutions and Turkey must make
"significant further efforts" on freedom of expression and religion
to move forward its bid for EU entry.
The report also noted that the law has been used to prosecute people
for making comments about the mass killings of Armenians by Turks in
the early 20th century.
PRESS RELEASE
"Yerkir", Union Of Non-Governmental Organizations
For Repatriation And Settlement
20 Bakunts str., Yerevan, Armenia
Contact: Anahit Davidyants
Mobile: +(374 94) 45 99 94
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
Yerevan
November 5, 2007
«YERKIR» UNION TOOK PART IN CONSIDERATION OF GERORIA’S REPORT AND COUNTRY
SITUATION BY UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE
On October 15-16th, 2007 the UN Human Rights Committee (headquarters in
Geneva) considered the third periodic report on Georgia about how that State
Party is fulfilling its obligations under the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights.
Among other questions related to the protection of human rights in Georgia,
the Committee discussed the status of ethnic minorities and protection of
their rights. The Union of Non-governmental Organizations for Repatriation
and Settlement «Yerkir» also took part in the hearings. The UN Human Rights
Committee gave «Yerkir» the privilege on its own behalf and within the
frameworks of the session to organize a separate discussion on the current
status of ethnic minority rights in Georgia.
During the discussions, Dr Fernand de Varennes, a well-known Canadian expert
invited by `Yerkir’ Union, presented the current situation with violations
of the Armenian minority’s rights in Georgia as follows:
· Non-alternative use of the Georgian language in public life fixed
in legislation,
· Gradual reduction in the representation of Armenians in
administrative bodies and insufficient participation in public life as a
consequence of language barrier,
· Offering training courses only in the Georgian language in state
educational establishments,
· Impossibility to get into Georgian universities for the
overwhelming majority of the Armenian entrants owing to insufficient
knowledge of the state language,
· Necessity of founding an Armenian university in Georgia, etc.
Levon Isakhanyan, representative of `Yerkir-Georgia’ organization (the
branch of «Yerkir» Union in Tbilisi), laid out among other issues the
problems facing the Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
particularly,
· The impossibility to obtain a state registration as a public legal
entity,
· The unproductive efforts in securing the return of church-owned
structures and church property confiscated from the Armenian Church during
the Soviet regime.
As a result of the hearings the UN Human Rights Committee adopted a
document, which summed up its observations and conclusions and gave the
Georgian government recommendations on the improvement of the present
status of human rights in the country. The document also contains
recommendations on the problems facing ethnic minorities, especially the
Armenian and Azeri minorities.
Particularly, the Committee noted that the status of legal public entity was
granted exclusively to the Georgian Orthodox Church and expressed its
concern for the fact that the different status of other religious groups
could lead to discrimination. The Committee expressed its regret that
problems related to the restitution of places of worship and related
properties of religious minorities, confiscated during the Communist era,
have not been solved. The Committee obliged the Georgian government to take
steps and ensure the equal enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or
belief, and also to address the problems related to the confiscation of
places of worship and related properties of religious minorities.
The Committee expressed its concern for the obstacles faced by minorities in
the enjoyment of their cultural rights, as well as for the low level of
their political representation. The Georgian government was given the
following recommendations:
a) Consider the possibility of allowing minorities to use their own language
at the level of local government and administration;
b)Take all appropriate measures to ensure adequate political representation
and participation of minorities, in particular Armenian and Azeri
communities, as well as to improve their knowledge of the Georgian language.
The State Party should take steps to eliminate language based discriminatory
practices;
c) Promote the integration of minorities in the Georgian society. To this
purpose, the State Party should engage in a dialogue with the concerned
groups and civil society working with minority issues;
d) Adopt indicators and benchmarks to determine whether relevant
antidiscrimination goals have been reached.
To obtain full information on the Committee’s 91th session proceedings
please visit .
With the aim to present the results of the Human Rights Committee hearings
on Georgia, «Yerkir» Union intends to organize several briefings, the first
of which will take place in Akhalkalaki on November 24, 2007.
ARMENIA: GOVERNING PARTY PREPARES FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Haroutiun Khachatrian
EurasiaNet, NY
Nov 12 2007
Armenia’s dominant political party is not taking the upcoming
presidential election lightly. At its recent party congress, the
Republican Party of Armenia nominated Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian
to be its presidential candidate in the February 19 election. Party
leaders also opened a rhetorical offensive against Sarkisian’s main
challenger, former president Levon Ter-Petrosian.
The congress, held November 10, was designed to reinforce in the
minds of voters an aura of the Republican Party’s invincibility. Held
in an indoor sports arena, the speaker’s podium at the congress
was flanked by giant television screens, infusing the event with
Western-style glitziness heretofore unseen in Armenia. Delegates,
as widely expected, anointed Prime Minister Sarkisian as President
Robert Kocharian’s would-be successor. First, Sarkisian was elected
as party president, a position that has been vacant since the death
of his predecessor Andranik Margarian. Then, delegates unanimously
backed Sarkisian’s presidential candidacy.
In an attempt to cement the front-runner image in the minds of the
electorate, party leaders emphasized the fact that its membership
now stands at 135,000, up from roughly 25,000 as recently as 2005.
According to a report presented by Tigran Torosian, a party vice
president and chairman of the National Assembly, the Republican Party
enjoys a hammer-lock on local political power, with 65 percent of local
administrative posts being held by its members. On the national level,
the party has an outright majority in parliament. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Sarkisian, speaking at the conference, cast himself as the guardian of
continuity, and the candidate best able to defend Armenia’s interests
in the international arena. Referring to the ongoing negotiations on
a Nagorno-Karabakh peace settlement, one of the country’s top foreign
policy priorities, Sarkisian said that, if elected, his administration
will "never allow Azerbaijan and Turkey to impose their will on us."
Despite enjoying preponderance of influence over Armenia’s political
process, party leaders are evidently concerned about Ter-Petrosian’s
entry into the race. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. Torosian devoted a considerable portion of his report to
bashing Ter-Petrosian, warning about the danger of "revanchism."
Sarkisian followed up with a blistering attack on Ter-Petrosian’s
leadership during the early and mid 1990s. Ter-Petrosian, according to
Sarkisian, left "people on the brink of despair, a ruined economy, a
mood of defeatism." The prime minister also insisted that Ter-Petrosian
apologize for his political "errors."
When he declared his own candidacy in late October, Ter-Petrosian
said his intention was to dismantle the "pyramid of corruption"
over which Sarkisian and Kocharian allegedly presided. In response,
Sarkisian shot back November 10 that Ter-Petrosian was seeking to
"dismantle the pyramid of our statehood."
Outside of the party congress, the machinery of state under the
control of the Republican Party of Armenia appears to be gearing
up for a campaign against Ter-Petrosian. Media observers note,
for example, that news reports about Ter-Petrosian have virtually
disappeared from state-controlled outlets. Tax inspectors have also
moved against businesses owned by one of Ter-Petrosian’s most important
financial backers, Khachatur Sukiasian, himself an independent member
of parliament.
In comments published November 7 in the Aravot daily, Sukiasian accused
the government of instructing various state agencies to investigate
his businesses in retribution for his political activities. "I take
all this quietly. My business[es] [are] absolutely clean," Sukiasian
insisted. He added that he would resist the government pressure using
all legal means at his disposal, including an appeal to the European
Court of Human Rights.
Ter-Petrosian, meanwhile, continues to campaign. At a November 3
appearance, Ter-Petrosian said that, if elected, he would seek to
cooperate with the current, Republican Party-dominated parliamentary
majority, adding that he would work with any prime minister than the
legislature nominates, except "the current one."
Editor’s Note: Haroutiun Khachatrian is a Yerevan-based writer
specializing in economic and political affairs.
PEOPLE’S PARTY OF ARMENIA TO BACK LEVON TER-PETROSIAN
ARMENPRESS
Nov 9, 2007
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS; Stepan Demirchian, chairman of
the People’s Party of Armenia, said today his party will support
ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian’s presidential bid and urged all
other opposition groups to unite in a broad alliance and support the
former president in the 2008 election.
Speaking to a news conference he said otherwise the opposition would
sustain another defeat. According to Stepan Demirchian, ex-president
Levon Ter-Petrosian is the only opposition candidate who is capable
of defeating the pro-government candidates.
Stepan Demirchian predicted that the main struggle will be between
Ter-Petrosian and prime minister Serzh Sarkisian.
He said the years when Ter-Petrosian’s Armenian National Movement
(ANM) ruled the country were difficult years.
Many officials in Ter-Petrosian’s administration committed serious
mistakes but were not held responsible," Demirchian said, but added
that he believes that the first post-Soviet Armenian president has
revised his past.
He also spoke about the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
saying a dignified peace can be achieved only through mutual
concessions and supported the idea of Nagorno-Karabakh authorities’
involvement in the talks.