Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

TURKEY PROTESTS COURT RULING TO DROP ACCUSATIONS OF ARMENIAN APOLOGY CAMPAIGN INITIATORS

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.02.2009 14:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A group of Turkish citizens have raised objection
to a court decision rejecting a demand for criminal prosecution of
initiators of the Armenian apology campaign, Anatolian Agency reports.

The office of the Ankara Public Prosecutor earlier this month
launched an investigation into the issue after submission of a
petition demanding the organizers of the apology campaign be charged
of "insulting the Turkish nation" under Article 301 of the Turkish
Penal Code (TCK).

Completing its investigation, the prosecutor’s office in Ankara last
week dropped the case, what aroused indignation because "the organizers
were not even questioned."

Some 30 thousand people have already signed the petition which reads,
"My conscience does not accept the insensitivity showed to and the
denial of the Great Calamity that befell the Ottoman Armenians in
1915. I reject this injustice and for my share, I empathize with the
feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers. I apologize to them.".

CRUEL "VICTIM" OF MARCH 1

A1+
[03:07 pm] 04 February, 2009

Armenian courts have passed the toughest sentence upon 30-year-old Ara
Hovhannisyan detainees in connection with March 1-2 unrest in Yerevan
City. The son of an Arsakhi war veteran and commander of the Kilikia
detachment Smbat Hovhannisyan was sentenced to a 9-year imprisonment.

Ara Hovhannisyan is charged with Articles 225 and 238 of Armenia’s
Criminal Code. He is sued for applying violence against the head of
Gugark’s police department Grisha Ayvazyan and seizing a Makarov gun
on March 1.

Ara Hovhannisyan was arrested on June 7, 2008. Later in the day the
Prosecutor’s Office issued a release stating that the accused had
pled guilty. Hovhannisyan had also confessed that immediately after
the incident he had thrown the Makarov into the Sevan-Hrazdan-Ararat
water-pipe.

On June 16, 2008 Ara Hovhannisyan informed Human Rights Defender Armen
Harutyunyan that he had been forced to shoulder the blame. But the
Prosecutor General paid no attention to Hovhannisyan’s statement and
instead of ordering an inquest into the case he instructed to toughen
Hovhannisyan’s punishment.

According to eye-witnesses on March 1 a Vilis police car drove
to the mob at a terrific speed knocking down three. This made the
demonstrators furious. They attacked the driver and beat him up.

Ara’s mother hopes her son will soon be set free. Ara hasn’t lived
in Armenia for a few years and visited his parents on the tragic days.

"My son is innocent. He has committed no crime. Why should he be
sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment?" said Anahit Tonoyan.

Ara is an only child in the family. The parents have already
appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. They say even the
beaten policeman didn’t identify their son in his testimony. They
lack circumstantial evidence and have been unable to prove my son’s
guilt. I am determined to struggle to the end," said Ara’s mother.

Note that the Prosecutor’s Office has requested the Appellate Court
to extend Hovhannisyan’s sentence for another four years but the
request has been turned down.

MINISTER NALBANDIAN OFF TO MOSCOW FOR CSTO SITTING

armradio.am
03.02.2009 11:00

The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian,
left for Moscow today to participate in the sitting of the Council
of Foreign Ministers of the member states of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO), Press and Information Department of the
Ministry of Foreign affairs reported.

JAN POULSEN: I ENJOY WORKING IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.01.2009 21:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Jan Poulsen, the coach of the Armenian national
football team, is not confused by a negative feedback that followed
the series of unsuccessful matches. He said he is positive about the
upcoming European Championship qualifiers called on fans for support.

"The defeats we sustained are not pleasant. But we should address
our mistakes and get ready for the game with the Estonian team,"
he told a news conference Saturday.

"I enjoy working in Armenia and I see the potential of the young
generation. I think that the main obstacle is the lack of proper
conditions for training," he said, adding that the language barrier
is his major problem in Armenia.

AWARDED OF MEDALS AND DIPLOMAS OF GRATITUDE IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

mp;p=0&id=725&y=2009&m=02&d=02
28. 01.09

On January 28, 2009 Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Hovik
Abrahamyan awarded a number of high-ranked officials with honorable
medals and diplomas of gratitude of the National Assembly on the
occasion of the Army Day.

Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, Members of Parliament, high-ranked
officials of the Defense Ministry were present at the ceremony.

For active participation in the process of reforms of the Armed
Forces, on the occasion of the 17th anniversary of the Armenian
Army Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, Chief of the General Staff of
the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia Yuri Khachaturov, Deputy
Defense Minister, Lieutenant-General Alik Mirzabekyan, Deputy Defense
Minister Ara Nazarian and Head of the Legal Department of the Defense
Ministry, Colonel Sedrak Sedrakyan were awarded honorable medals of
the National Assembly.

For clear and conscientious implementation of service duties head of
the department dealing with the work with the staff of the Armenian
Armed Forces, Major-General Vardan Avetisyan and Commander of the
Armenian Defense Ministry’s peacekeeping forces brigade, Colonel
Arthur Simonyan were awarded diplomas of gratitude.

Public Television of Armenia
Jan 28 2009

Armenian, Azeri leaders note "dynamism", "progress" in Karabakh talks
– minister

[Presenter] The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents, Serzh Sargsyan
and Ilham Aliyev, had a meeting in Zurich [Switzerland] today. The
first phase of the meeting was held by the two countries’ foreign
ministers, with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen and the personal
representative of the OSCE chairman-in office in attendance. A
tete-a-tete meeting between the presidents, which lasted for an hour,
continued at an expanded format later.

[Haylur correspondent Artak Aleksanyan reporting from Zurich] The
Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents arrived in Zurich airport an hour
apart from each other. The Armenian president arrived in Zurich
airport first and then Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived. The
Azerbaijani delegation was informed that Armenia marks the 17th
anniversary of the Armenian armed forces today.

The meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents [at an
expanded format] lasted for more than two hours., The OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairmen and the personal representative of the OSCE
chairman-in-office also joined the presidents following the
tete-a-tete meeting. After the meeting, the two countries’ foreign
ministers noted dynamism in the negotiating process. The meeting that
lasted for more than two hours was productive.

[Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan speaking in Russian with
overlaid Armenian translation] The two presidents noted that there was
dynamism from the standpoint of these meetings’ regular nature and
that there is progress from the standpoint that both presidents much
better understand each other’s positions and the current difficulties.

[Correspondent] Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov noted
that it was still early to sign a framework agreement. On the other
hand, there remains three or four questions which should also be
agreed.

[Mammadyarov speaking in Russian with overlaid Armenian translation]
There was mutual understanding between the two sides. However, there
are some questions which have not yet been agreed. Meetings held
between the two presidents are aimed at resolving these
questions. This is a process [during which] we should move ahead,
because there is no other way.

[Nalbandyan] Indeed, the talk is about drawing up the settlement
principles. After an agreement is reached on the main settlement
principles, the sides will start working out a basic document.

VARDAN KHACHATRIAN: NEW PACE RESOLUTION CONTAINS ALL DEMANDS MADE TO ARMENIA SO FAR

Noyan Tapan

Jan 30, 2009

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, NOYAN TAPAN. According to Resolution N 1643
adopted by PACE on January 27, no radical changes have been recorded
in Armenia. Vardan Khachatrian, a member of the RA NA Zharangutiun
(Heritage) faction, reported at the January 30 press conference adding
that the new resolution contains all concerns and demands made to
Armenia so far. According to him, depriving Armenia’s delegation
of the vote was not opposition’s, including Zharangutiun (Heritage)
party’s goal. "Endangering Armenia cannot be in the interests of any
political force acting in the country," V. Khachatrian said.

According to Karen Avagian, a member of the RA NA RPA faction,
Resolution N 1643 is a victory over all people, who did their
best to deprive the Armenian delegation of the vote. In his words,
according to that resolution, indeed changes have been recorded in the
country. "Otherwise a new resolution would not be adopted or it would
be a resolution with the previous one’s content," K. Avagian said. He
did not consider admissible the circumstance that Raffi Hovannisian,
the founder of the Zharangutiun party considering itself a constructive
opposition did not participate in the PACE sittings.

SERZH SARGSYAN: "I USED TO SPEAK AZERBAIJANI, BUT IT HAS BEEN ALREADY 20 YEARS THAT I DON’T SPEAK IT"

Today.Az
cs/50381.html
Jan 29 2009
Azerbaijan

Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President of Armenia
Serzh Sargsyan will meet today in Davos in the framework of the World
Economic Forum.

According to APA, referring to CNN Turk channel, the Foreign Ministers
of the two countries Ali Babacan and Edward Nalbandyan will meet
before the meeting of the leaders.

Answering Turkish journalists’ questions in Davos, Sargsyan said he
considers that the meeting will be a positive step for improvement
of the relations between the two countries.

Asked whether he speaks Turkish and to say something in Turkish,
Sargsyan said in Armenian:

"Frankly speaking I do not understand Turkish. I used to speak
Azerbaijani, but it has been 20 years that I don’t speak it".

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT TO START HEARING MINISTRIES’ REPORTS ON FRIDAY

ARKA
Jan 29, 2009

YEREVAN, January 29. /ARKA/. Armenian Government is to start discussing
ministries’ 2008 activity reports on Friday, Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan said on Thursday.

He said that the discussions will be focused on faults and unfulfilled
work.

The premier said that problems will be considered and steps outlined
for implementing the outstanding programs in 2009.

Sargsyan asked ministers to present only brief reports about failed
plans.

"ARTSAKH-ANCIENT COUNTRY" PUBLISHED IN PRAGUE

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2009-01-28 15:53
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

The book "Artsakh-ancient country" has been published in the Czech
language in Prague in the form of a photo-album of 22 photographers
from the Czech Republic and Austria. They photographed episodes from
the cultural and spiritual life of Nagorno Karabakh, its nature,
historical-architectural monuments, etc. The book also contains
general information about the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

Initiator of the project is Garik Avanesyan, member of the
International Federation of Photography Art, winner of a number of
international awards.

In 1987 he first made photographs in Hadrout region of Nagorno
Karabakh, but published his works 20 years later. In Prague he
convinced his friends-photographers that Nagorno Karabakh is a
"paradise for photographers".

The presentation of the book "Artsakh- ancient country" will be held
in Prague on March 3, 2008, at the photo exhibition of the same name.