Author: Tambiyan Samvel

IRAN AND ARMENIA DEFENSE MINISTERS CALL FOR MORE MILITARY TIES SERVICE: FOREIGN POLICY

ISNA
Service: Foreign Policy
Nov 7, 2007
Tehran

TEHRAN, Nov. 07 (ISNA)-Iran defense minister and his Armenian
counterpart emphasized on broadening military, industrial and technical
ties in a meeting in Yerevan.

Brigadier General, Mustafa Mohammad Najar said the geopolitical
situation of Iran and Armenia in this region and the positive record
of cooperation in the past among many other factors, prepare the
ground for further expansion of relations.

Strengthening multilateral ties with neighboring countries is one
of the principles of Iran’s foreign policy, he said while reminding
that bilateral ties between Iran and each of the regional countries
are in favor of peace and stability of the region.

"Expansion of constructive talks whether at regional or international
level is the common need of countries which are after preserving
their identity and independency within the framework of pursuing
localization of regional security," he added.

The Armenian defense minister, Mikayel Harutyunyan for his part
while appreciating Iran for its influential role in restoring peace
and stability in Caucasus region said strengthening Tehran-Yerevan
relations supports both countries and the region’s interests.

AZERBAIJANI, ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MAY MEET IN MADRID

Trend
07.11.07 14:08

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend E.Huseynov / The next meeting of the
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers to discuss a peaceful
resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict might be held in Madrid
late this November.

"The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs proposed holding the meeting in Madrid
at the end of November as part of a meeting of the OSCE. Presently,
I am waiting for news from the co-chairs on further plans," said
Elmar Mammadyarov, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, in an interview
with Trend.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus region
began in 1988 as a result of Armenian territorial claims against
Azerbaijan. Since 1992, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20%
of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven
surrounding districts. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a
ceasefire agreement, at which time active hostilities ended. The
Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France, and the US)
are currently holding peaceful negotiations.

The minister said he was waiting for a reply from the co-chairs
after their most recent tour of Azerbaijan. "They left Azerbaijan
for Armenia, intending to continue the tour of diplomacy. However,
no news is forthcoming about the co-chairs’ activities and it seems
their talks in Yerevan were unsuccessful," the minister said.

With respect to a statement by Matthew Bryza, the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chair, on the possibility of achieving an agreement between
the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan before the presidential
elections in Armenia on May 2008, the minister said that that this
is a hypothetical issue and it is difficult to comment on it. There
is willingness on our side. If we can reach an agreement and the
Armenian side has a political will, of course, it can be signed.

NUMBER OF THOSE APPLYING FOR PLASTIC SURGERY GROWING YEAR AFTER YEAR IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Nov 5, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The first conference of the
pastic surgeons of Armenia started its proceedings in Tsakhkadzor on
November 2 and was attended by specialists from Switzerland, Russia,
the Ukraine, and Georgia. As Armen Hovhannisian, the Chairman of the
Armenian Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons,
mentioned, reports dedicated to subjects on the plastic surgery of
face, breast, deformation of body outlines, as well as medicinal
cosmetology will be introduced during the conference. According to
him, the up-to-date issues, as well as the development prospects of
the plastic surgery will be discussed.

Armen Hovhannisian stated that the number of those, who apply for
plastic surgery, is growing year after year in Armenia. According
to bim, they mainly apply for changing the form and size of the nose
and breast.

It was also mentioned that the Armenian Association of Plastic
Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons has become member of the World
Association of Plastic Sergeons this year.

IRAN’S DEFENSE MINISTER TO VISIT ARMENIA

Press TV, Iran
Nov 4 2007

Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Mohammad-Najjar Iran’s Defense
Minister, Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar, is to visit Armenia to discuss
the latest developments in the world and region.

The Iranian minister, who will head a high-ranking defense delegation,
is scheduled to hold talks with Armenian President Robert Kocharian,
Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, and Minister of Defense Michael
Harutyunyan.

The Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Brigadier General
Mohammad-Najjar will also discuss Tehran-Yerevan bilateral ties.

The Iranian official’s visit that is scheduled for November 6, is
taking place at the invitation of his Armenian counterpart.

ON OCTOBER 23 POLICEMEN BEAT NOT ONLY PARTICIPANTS OF PROCESSION AND JOURNALISTS, BUT ALSO BY-PASSERS, MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES AFFIRM

Noyan Tapan
Nov 1, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The investigation group examining
the criminal case on the fact of the incident, which happened during
the October 23 rally, seeks to present the case the way that allegedly
the number of the demonstrants exceeded 100, while their number was
no more than 30. Taguhi Tovmasian, a correspondent of the Chorrord
Ishkhanutiun newspaper, a witness on the case, said in her interview to
Noyan Tapan correspondent. She assured that this is done for grounding
procession’s being illegal, because, if the number of participants
of such events exceeds 99, according to the law, it is necessary to
apply to the Mayor’s Office in advance to receive a sanction.

The demonstrants are charged with using violence to a power
representative, as well as with violating street traffic, while they,
according to R. Tovmasian, walked only along the pavement, and street
traffic was stopped by the very policemen.

Another correspondent of Chorrord Ishkhanutiun beaten during the
incident by policemen, Gohar Vezirian, mentioned that she did not
take part in the procession and appeared on the scene after the
newspaper’s editor had told her to cover the procession. According
to the correspondent, for policemen, it was not important whom they
were beating: they were even attacking by-passers. "I saw them cruelly
beating Sukiasian Manuk (a member of the Alternative political-public
initiative: NT) and came up to representatives of special detachments
surrounding him thinking that seeing my camera they will stop their
"business." However, Lieutenant-Colonel Arayik Petrosian started
striking me from back and scolding."

It should be mentioned that as a result of beating G. Vezirian,
according to preliminary diagnosis, received concussion of the
brain. She said that though she visited a forensic doctor, she has
not received his conclusion yet. "I have no special expectations
from that paper, as such papers are mainly written in this country
"by state order," by orders "from above," the journalist said.

ACCORDING TO ARMENIAN INTELLECTUALS, ARMENIA SHOULD ENSURE SECURITY OF ITS CITIZENS BEING ABROAD

Noyan Tapan
Oct 29 2007

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The Russian government encourages
criminal activity of chauvinistic groups, as none of them has been
punished seriously so far. Ruben Hakhverdian, an author of songs,
at the October 29 press conference, expressed such an opinion about
the position of that country’s authorities in the issue of Armenians’
murders in RF. According to him, Armen Smbatian, the Ambassador of
Armenia to Russia, has many things to do in this respect. However,
according to R. Hakhverdian, the Ambassador of Armenia, who should
strictly respond to such cases, "feels himself rather Russian than
Armenian there."

In the opinion of Karine Hakobian, the Chairwoman of the Public Reform
NGO, the Ambassador is only the performer of state policy. According
to her, Armenia as a state does not realize its mission yet. "The
mission of the Armenian state should be ensuring of RA citizens’
security both in the territory of Armenia and abroad," she said.

Levon Ananian, the Chairman of the Union of Writers of Armenia,
proposed giving out papers with advice, instructions to RA citizens
leaving for Moscow. "It will help them to be more cautious there,"
he said.

WELL-KNOWN PARENTING GURU TO SPEAK ON TOPIC OF GENOCIDE
William Lin

Ottawa Citizen, Canada
Oct 29 2007

Cattle. Vermin. Cockroaches. They were terms used against ethnic
groups that helped fuel 20th-century genocides, from the Holocaust
to the Rwanda massacre, in which hundreds of thousands of ethnic
Tutsis and Hutu sympathizers died. And for Barbara Coloroso, a
parenting and school discipline guru, it’s just a short walk from
bullying to genocide. "Once you dehumanize another human being,
then you put them outside your circle of moral concern," said
Ms. Coloroso. "And you can do anything to them and really not feel
the normal shame or compassion that comes when you hurt somebody. If
you go back to the genocide, the majority of the context of the
genocide began with verbal bullying." Ms. Coloroso will discuss her
new book, Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide Nov. 5
at Sir Robert Borden High School as part of Holocaust Education
Week. The week, a program by the Jewish Federation of Ottawa’s Shoah
(Holocaust) Committee, began on Sunday and runs until Nov. 11,
featuring programs, films and lectures. The topic of genocide was
a departure for Ms. Coloroso, a former nun who has written several
books on parenting and bullying. She lives in Littleton, Colorado,
near the scene of the Columbine High School shootings. Ms. Coloroso
first discovered the topic after reading Elie Wiesel’s Night, a book
based on the author’s experience as an Orthodox Jew who was sent to
Auschwitz concentration camp. More recently, Ms. Coloroso saw the
genocide’s effects first-hand while working with Rwandan orphans of
the genocide. She met a young man, a Tutsi who witnessed his mother
and two sisters killed in Kigali, Rwanda. His father tried protecting
him, but was killed as well. The boy suffered four machete cuts to
his head. "People’s stories are all the same in terms of that whole
cycle of bullying. It was really my involvement in Rwanda that made
it very personal," she said. Her book also focuses on the Armenians
in the Ottoman empire, and the Jews, Roma and Sinti in Europe.

A complete list of Holocaust Education Week events can be found at
wacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=5ee71989-9f6a-45 d8-ac16-6931eed2de7e&k=47425

Russian Defense Minister to pay official visit to Armenia October 29-30

arminfo
2007-10-27 14:32:00

ArmInfo. Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdukov is to pay an
official visit to Armenia October 29-30.

Armenian Defense Minister’s Press Secretary told ArmInfo Anatoly
Serdukov is expected to meet President Robert Kocharyan, Prime Minister
Serzh Sargsyan, and Defense Minister Mikael Haroutunyan.
Armenian-Russian military cooperation-related issues are to be
discussed in the course of the meetings. The Russian Defense Ministry
delegation will visit the Russian military units in Armenia.

EAFJD CONDEMNS POGROMS ORGANIZED BY TURKISH FASCISTS IN BRUSSELS

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.10.2007 18:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Armenian Federation condemns pogroms
organized by Turkish fascists in Europe.

A demonstration organized two days ago by the Turkish extremist
right-wing group, the sinister Grey Wolves, caused chaos and mass
violent disturbance in Brussels.

"The European Armenian Federation strongly condemns the import into
Europe of these racist and criminal customs which are well-known by
the Armenians as a prelude to the systematic massacres of Armenian
citizens. "We are expecting from the police and judicial authorities
exemplary reaction regarding members of these criminal bands and
their rulers" declared Laurent Leylekian, the director of the European
Armenian Federation," EAFJD told PanARMENIAN.Net.

He added, "We know that Turkey is always behind these pogroms. The
Federation is certain that the Turkish State bodies – police,
army, and judicial powers – are deeply infiltrated by these ultra
nationalistic units, and it is attested that Ankara regularly gives
orders to the Grey Wolves paramilitary forces, orders that emanate
from the MHP (political group represented in the Turkish Parliament)
to accomplish their dirty jobs in Turkey as well as in Europe."

"The freedoms that these criminal groups have in Europe is encouraged
by the indulgent attitude of our institutions towards racism. Turkish
state ultra nationalism, compromise from our institutions (European
Parliament and Commission, national and European political parties)
towards the systematic denial of the Turkish state is interpreted
by Ankara as authorization to develop its ultra nationalism in the
European Union," concluded Leylekian.

On Wednesday night some 200 people, belonging to Gray Wolves extreme
movement, destroyed and set to fire Jardin de Babylone cafe owned by an
Iraqi Armenian in the neighborhood Saint-Josse-Ten-Noode of Brussels.

A little before in the evening the hooligans had pulled out then
burned the American flag which was hanging on the frontage of the
U.S. Embassy.

Mehmet Koksal, a Belgian journalist of Turkish origin, who filmed
the scene, was severely beaten by the extremists howling hostile and
insulting the U.S. slogans.

This demonstration would have a direct relation to the Turkish-Kurdish
confrontation that has claimed lives of 12 Turkish soldiers are 23
Kurdish rebels.

ARMENIA, USA TO COOPERATE IN CIVIL AVIATION

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 25 2007

YEREVAN, October 24. /ARJKA/. Ra minister of Finance and Economy
Vardan Khachatryan and Tomas Adams, Coordinator of the US office for
Europe and Eurasia, assigned an agreement in the aviation sphere.

The public relations department, RA Government, reports that the
agreement was signed in Washington yesterday, as a result of a meeting
of the Armenian-American task group for economic cooperation.

The agreement envisages cooperation of safe and joint operation of
civil airplanes.