NKR: The People, Events, Thoughts

THE PEOPLE, EVENTS, THOUGHTS
Murad Petrosyan

Azat Artsakh Tert
Dec 14 2007
Nagorno Karabakh Republic

1998-2007 Preface. For me and the people of my age, Artsakh Movement
began in 1966, when turks (azeris’ name) killed 12 years boy cruelly
for being armenian. Antipathy always existed and inimity removed
it. The people became angry when the court of justice took injust
verdict(they were not sentenced to capital penalty). Soon after the
people made cruel mob law over the azeris. The arrests and emergency
situation followed. It was the first stage of the movement, the
second began due to Gorbachev’s perestroika.The details are important
here, which were known to several persons,but not injustice and
distortion. Today I will tell you some moments from these events.

The reader must be sure in one: I write what I think and feel. As
the continuation of the preface. Since my childhood the politics
attracted me, in teenager’s years I began to listen to the western
radiowaves and to read the journal "Abroad". I remembered the names
of the presidents and the prime ministers better than the teachers.

Despite many "reconstructors" I realized the false of soviet
reality earlier, but national problem was realized more later. Being
in Soviet prisons for about 10 years (for stealing guns from the
millitary faculty of the Yerevan State University) and returning to
the motherland in 1977, I realized the danger of cultural colonisation.

Every person does what brings satisfaction for his soul. I was devoted
to the patriotism but not to the nationalism. My religion and faith is
the motherland. The danger of losing Karabakh, not the nation stood
before my consciousness. Objective necessity prompted me to come to
the idea of nationalism. The patriotism (especially in the country,
whose geopolitical position and future are not good) which is not
imbibed by national idea and ideology is inperspective, it’s like the
building without foundation. Armenian reality and the adherence to be
spread all over the world ,makes us give so much simpleness to nation
building, how it’s given to the statehood building. Sumgait Either
to come to Bakou with guiltiness , or to be ready for war It became
clear from the events of armenian massacres in Sumgait (the end of the
february 1988), that the problem would not be solved without military
hostilities. The political and the spiritual authorities of Azerbaijan
made armenians and Moscow realize,that Karabakh would not be ceded. It
meant either to go to the paws of heavily wounded beast, or to meet
the challenge and to prepare to war.We began to prepare for war. We
began to look for the weapon, but less of us believed the possibility
of war. The people said, "Such things can not happen in USSR, Moscow
will not let such development of the events",- it was in the brains
of everlasting sentimental people. a) It’s like today’s situation, 13
years after armistice, everyone: strong and modern army and the people
speak about the possibility of the war, but almost noone believes it’s
real possibility(if they believed, they would not make the state’s
budget empty). They say that the Great Powers will not let the war
in Karabakh again. Artsakh must be independent. "What iron logic they
have…", Nizche said exactly for such events,-"The lion hit well" b)
The political sentimentalism or one sided thought,from the beginning,
were in the thoughts of the majority of leaders of Artsakh movement.

They were not different from the people who were born and grew up in
the country where own thought in politics, philosophy and psychology
was severily punished. Till 1991 the work was not done for preparing
for war, even in moral psychological sphere.

‘We feel welcome in Arab countries’

‘We feel welcome in Arab countries’

By Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter
Published: December 13, 2007, 23:18

Dubai: Hrach Kalsahakian says he is a typical diaspora
Armenian. He was born in Greece to Syrian parents and has lived in
Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Greece and the UAE.
"I am an Armenian from Syria, but like many other Armenians, I have
carried something with me from all the places I’ve lived in."
Armenians in Arab countries like Syria, he says, have not had
conflicting identities. Their identities as Syrian citizens with an
Armenian background are at harmony, for which he credits the local
Arabs that welcomed Armenians when they migrated to the region as
refugees after the First World War.

Coexistence
Kalsahakian attributes this to the fact that Armenians had no land
claims there "unlike other [religious or ethnic] minorities that came
to the region."

The positive treatment of Armenians, he says, serves as an
opportunity for Arabs to show a different side to themselves at a time
when negative stereotypes about them are rife.
"Although Armenians had all the elements of being strangers, they
were not treated so. It was more than just tolerance. It was
coexistence. This should be a source of pride for Arabs" he said.

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http://archive.gulfnews.com/nation/Society/1017456

Armen Avetisyan. "There Is A Way To Escape Abuses"

ARMEN AVETISYAN. "THERE IS A WAY TO ESCAPE ABUSES"

Panorama.am
21:34 12/12/2007

Customs State Committee’s customs administration of transportation
means moved into new comfortable building where the custom’s office
service is combined. Armen Avetisyan, the president of the customs
state committee visited the new building.

According to the representatives of the mentioned field the
development of the transportation usage urged them to change the
former building. The conditions in that building were not sufficient
to carry out high speed service and effectiveness of the work.

"The customs administration decided to build a new, modern
building. Thus more comfortable service is created for the investors of
transportation means. All the different services are combined in one
building and the supervision of the service will be under control,"
said Armen Avetisyan.

The president of the customs house also said "Once the owners of
injured cars had to carry their cars to the special examination
centre of the Justice ministry for the registration and other formal
activities, now they just bring their cars to the new building of
the customs office as the expert from the justice ministry every day
comes here."

According to A. Avetisyan the new building is structured in the way
that the investors could finish their responsibilities sooner, and
we could provide the necessary transparency.

Deputy Minister Received Future Politicians

DEPUTY MINISTER RECEIVED FUTURE POLITICIANS

Panorama.am
21:52 12/12/2007

Today Gegham Gharibjanyan, the deputy minister of foreign minister
received the students doing their master’s in political science in
National Academy.

According to the press and information department of the foreign
affairs ministry the deputy minister presented the ministry’s history,
its principles, and talked about the main directions of Armenian
foreign affairs.

The deputy minister answered to the students’ questions and discussed
Armenian – Turkish, Armenian – Georgian, Armenian – Iranian relations.

Kurdish Community To Support Serge Sargsyan At The Presidential Elec

KURDISH COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT SERGE SARGSYAN AT THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

armradio.am
12.12.2007 17:50

The Kurdish community of Armenia will support RA Prime Minister Serge
Sargsyan at the presidential elections of 2008. At the cultural centre
of ethnic minorities the representatives of the Kurdish community
called on all Kurds of Armenia to support Serge Sargsyan’s candidacy.

"As citizensof the Republic of Armenia enjoying full rights, we shall
cast our vote for Serge Sargsyan. He has been in charge for almost all
force structures of Armenia and is well familiar with both internal
and external problems. The problems of ethnic minorities have always
been in the centre of his attention," declared Knyaz Hasanov, the
President of the Kurdish "National Council."

"Orinats Yerkir" Party Invited OSCE To Become A Long-Term Observer I

"ORINATS YERKIR" PARTY INVITED OSCE TO BECOME A LONG-TERM OBSERVER IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA

Yerevan/Mediamax/.
December 12, 2007

"Orinats Yerkir" party sent an invitation to the OSCE for realization
of long-term observation mission during the upcoming presidential
elections in Armenia.

Mediamax reports that the Head of the pre-election staff of "Orinats
Yerkir’ party’s candidate for the position of the President Artur
Baghdasarian, Secretary of the parliamentary faction of the party
Heghine Bisharian, said this in Yerevan today.

According to her, the long-term mission of international observers
may become a serious stimulus for holding democratic, transparent
and fair elections in Armenia.

Heghine Bisharian complained about the absence of access to
electronic media, in particular, to the TV-channels, "which prefer
the pro-authority political forces". She also expressed "concern in
connection with the appointment of local self-governing bodies in rural
regions for the positions of the leaders of one of the candidates’
local pre-election staffs".

National Minorities Oppressed In Turkey

NATIONAL MINORITIES OPPRESSED IN TURKEY
By H. Chaqrian, translated by A.M.

AZG Armenian Daily #229
12/12/2007

Human Rights and Turkey

And Threatened by Growing Nationalism

Yesterday the Minorities Rights Group, residing in London, published
a report, which says that Turkey denies the existence and therefore
the human rights of numerous ethnic, culture, language and religious
minority groups on its territory. The report also says that Armenians,
Kurds, Romanians and representatives of other nations are undergoing
severe national discrimination and are threatened by nationalist
forces in Turkey.

According to the Minorities Rights Group report, in spite of several
improvements connected with the negotiation process on Turkey’s EU
membership, the situation of the national minorities in that country
still remains unsatisfactory. The authors of the report express hope
that the amendments to the Constitution of Turkey, to be submitted to
Milli Meclis (the Parliament of Turkey) in 2008, shall have positive
effect on minorities’ rights protection.

This information was received from the ANF News Agency, with
a reference to "Hye Tert", Istanbul. On the same day "Radikal"
newspaper published an article on Turkey’s official policy on
minorities, which said, "If someone says he is a citizen of Turkey,
but Laz, Georgian, Cherqez, Armenian, Jew, Greek, Alavi, Assyrian or
Ezidi by origin, the Government answers that each citizens of Turkey
is supposed to be a Turk and Sunnite by faith. The Government does
not give you the right of having different ethnicity or of religious
freedom. Although the ‘We Are All Turks’ and ‘Turkey is for Turks’
slogans proved inconsistent and were replaced by the tendency of
considering Turkic the entire population of the Republic of Turkey,
the Government still has a ideologically and politically biassed
approach to the issue of national minorities.

In the meanwhile Turkey is conducting membership negotiations with
the EU, basing upon European values."

Thus, the report of the Minorities Rights Group, London, is proved
by the abovementioned publication of "Radikal", and vice versa. But
the fact the problems of national minorities have been realized in
the Turkish society does not imply that the problems are soon to be
solved. The Ankara officials are going on with insisting upon the
unitary organization of the Turkish statehood. Therefore growing
self-consciousness of national, ethnic and other minority groups is
considered a threat to the national integrity and security of the
Republic of Turkey.

"People Should Safeguard Their Rights"

"PEOPLE SHOULD SAFEGUARD THEIR RIGHTS"

A1+
[04:15 pm] 10 December, 2007

Election conduct testifies to the level of human rights protection in
countries. We cannot speak of human rights protection if elections are
faked, head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan Sergey Kapinos announced
today during the events dedicated to International Day of Human
Rights Protection.

In this respect he highlighted the 2008 presidential elections
in Armenia.

Armenia’s Human Rights Ombudsman Armen Harutiunian shared his stance
and noted that the country is already taking efforts to champion human
rights. The Constitutional amendments of 2005 and the parliamentary
elections of 2007 manifest to Armenia’s will-power.

Human rights protection is a priority of the national security,
Armen Harutiunian said. He highly assessed the recent changes in the
legislative sphere at the same time mentioning that they are sometimes
incompliant with "the letter and spirit of the law."

The best way to amend the sphere is to control the authorities,
the RA Ombudsman says.

People shouldn’t sit with crossed hands and wait for the authorities
to protect their rights. Hardly any Armenian feels safe in the country
nowadays. People should safeguard their rights themselves.

In general the Armenian Ombudsman is discontent with the freedom of
expression in Armenia.

Freedom of expression is far from being on the highest level. Surely,
there is pluralism, I do not deny it, but it is not on a sufficient
level.

Committee Chairman: All Commitments To Council Of Europe Fulfilled B

COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: ALL COMMITMENTS TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE FULFILLED BUT ON PAPER

Panorama.am
17:51 10/12/2007

"The new phase in terms of human rights in Armenia may be divided in
two parts – before 2001 and after it.

Before the year 2001, Armenia announced commitment to human rights
and democratic values but after a short while the declaration turned
to be one thing and the reality another," Avetik Ishkhanyan, chairman
of Helsinki Committee said in a conversation with us today.

According to him, Armenia joined several key documents of U.N. on human
rights and democracy, including combat against torture. Armenia took
a reasonable number of commitments but they stayed on paper. Avetik
Ishkhanyan recalled Constitution of 1995 which devoted a whole section
to human rights but in terms of mechanisms there were many issues
to solve. "An independent judiciary was not established. It was 100%
dependant on the executive. The proclaimed democracy and protection
of human rights did not work," the law protector said.

In the words of the chairman, Armenia joined the Council of Europe
in 2001 again taking up several commitments in terms of democracy,
human rights and the country gave a big hope that in terms of
executing them it will go forward. Today all the commitments in
front of Council of Europe are fulfilled but on paper, he said. "An
independent judiciary, freedom of speech, free election – in fact,
all of these do not function.

They are only of declarative nature," Ishkhanyan claims.

Today, December 10, is the International Day of Human Rights. The
international community is celebrating 57th anniversary of the
International Day of Human Rights.

Exercises under Partnership for Peace program to be held in Armenia

Russia & CIS General Newswire
December 7, 2007 Friday 11:55 AM MSK

Exercises under Partnership for Peace program to be held in Armenia
in 2008

YEREVAN Dec 7

Armenian Defense Minister Mikael Arutyunian has met with participants
of the planning conference of the Cooperative Longbow/Lancer
exercises in Yerevan, to discuss the program and schedule of the
exercises due to be held in the country in September 2008.

The parties stressed the importance of the exercises for the region,
held under the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Partnership for Peace program, Defense Minister’s spokesman Seiran
Shakhsuvarian told Interfax.

On October 23, the Supreme Allied Commander accepted Armenia’s
application for hosting exercises under the Partnership for Peace
program. The Cooperative Longbow command post exercises and the
Cooperative Lancer field exercises will therefore be conducted in
Armenia in 2008.

kk rp