Sunday, November 05, 2006
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ARMENIAN ENEMIES,
TURKISH FRIENDS
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Is there a single Armenian today who thinks Turks are better than Armenians? Likewise, is there a single Turk who thinks Armenians are better than Turks? This may suggest that nationalism and racism are inevitable facts of life, which we must never give up combating.
No doubt some Armenians are better than some Turks, and vice versa, some Turks are better than some Armenians. Which reminds me of the following brief exchange in Zabel Yessayan’s autobiographical THE GARDENS OF SILIHDAR:
“Dad, is it true that Jews are bad people?”
“There is no such thing as a bad people, my child. There are only bad men and good men.”
“What about the Turks then?”
“Same with the Turks.”
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Are Turkish writers today better than Armenian writers? According to the Nobel committee, and now the world community, at least one Turkish writer is better than Armenian writers.
I once heard an Armenian poet and author of several textbooks say that the Nobel committee was a Zionist conspiracy. And immediately after Pamuk was awarded the Nobel Prize, an Armenian friend, whose patriotism is such that it would not allow him to read “enemy writers,” telephoned to inform me that Pamuk did not deserve the Nobel Prize. But then, with one or two exceptions, this has been said of all Nobel Prize winners.
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In a recent issue of the ARMENIAN REPORTER I read a letter to the editor that said something to the effect that, if we are better, why is it that hundreds of Jews have been awarded the Nobel Prize but not a single Armenian? Will this fact convince a single Armenian that Jews are better than Armenians? I suspect it may have the exact opposite effect by reinforcing the notion that the Nobel committee is an offshoot of THE PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION.
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Dissident Turkish historians today have more friends among Armenians than among their fellow Turks. Why should it be different for dissident Armenian writers?
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Monday, November 06, 2006
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DIARY
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Saddam Hussein has been condemned to death. Some see this as a major victory. I can only think of all the others in the Middle East and elsewhere who deserve to hang but who will die of natural causes?
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We speak too much about Turks and massacres and not enough about intolerance, which happens to be the source of all crimes against humanity; perhaps because, if we speak of intolerance, sooner or later someone may ask, “How tolerant are we?”
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If you keep asking the wrong questions, you will never get the right answer.
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Only Armenians who know nothing about Armenian literature think my views are eccentric or anti-Armenian.
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You cannot reason with men who are against reason.
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In a cartoon by Wolinski, one Frenchman to another: “On account of Aznavour, Turks are threatening to boycott French goods. That’s not a problem because for some time now France has been exporting nothing.”
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“As an Armenian, I value Armenians over Turks,” a gentle reader writes. I suspect a Mongol will never say, “As a Mongol, I value Mongols over Armenians,” probably because he doesn’t even know who Armenians are. And if swine could speak, no doubt they will say, “As swine, we value swine over jackasses.”
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Tuesday, November 07, 2006
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NOTES AND COMMENTS
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History is made by mobs that cannot think for themselves.
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When I knew nothing I believed everything I was told by my elders. Now that I am no longer a child I spend most of my time trying to prove that I am no longer an impressionable idiot.
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Some of our charlatans have become such experts in their field that they now believe in what they say.
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Who qualifies as an intellectual? Anyone who has mastered the difficult art of thinking against himself. As for patriots and propagandists: for every intellectual, there are probably a thousand or even ten thousand of them.
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Once upon a time I espoused every fallacy, prejudice, and misconception I now condemn. I know how hard it is to see one’s most cherished ideas as products of manipulators whose aim is to convince you to kill and die for what they only pretend to believe in.
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Wednesday, November 08, 2006
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HERE WE GO AGAIN
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“You don’t always practice what you preach,” I am sometimes informed by disappointed readers. To which I can only say, “Here we go again!”
First of all, I am neither a preacher nor a propagandist (same thing). If I were, I would be paid for my work. But like everyone else, including preachers and their dupes, I stand for certain things (such as tolerance and solidarity) and am against others (censorship and authoritarianism…both in the name of patriotism, of course). That doesn’t make me a preacher, just an average Joe who values common sense and decency over charlatanism.
So much for my positives. On the negative side, I am willing to concede that I have little patience with and no sympathy whatever for anonymous and faceless hoodlums who take pleasure in flinging mud at me hoping some of it will stick. They may even think if they make themselves repellent enough I may give up in disgust and fall silent. This may indeed happen some day, but not yet – at least not today and probably not tomorrow.
However, I am willing to compromise and make the following solemn promise. On the day I achieve perfection, I may see the wisdom in bullies and liars, and on the day I achieve sainthood, I may forgive and love them. In the meantime, my advice is: Don’t hold your breath!
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ARMENIA GIVES PRELIMINARY POSITIVE REPLY TO PROPOSAL OF POLAND
Panorama.am
18:36 07/11/06
The preliminary reply of Armenia to the proposal of Poland to represent
the interests of Armenia in Turkey and Turkish interests in Armenia
is positive, Vardan Oskanyan, Armenian foreign minister told a news
conference today.
In his words, the suggestion was made two months ago at the level of
foreign ministries. Turkey has given no response to the suggestion
of Poland.

NEXT COURT HEARING ON BABAJANYAN CASE ON NOVEMBER 20
Panorama.am
17:26 07/11/06
The criminal and military appeal court ruled out today to call the
next court hearing on the case of Arman Babajanyan, editor-in-chief of
Jamanak Yerevan newspaper, on November 20. New defense attorneys of
Babajanyan, Haik Alumyan and Zaruhi Postanjyan, have applied to the
appeal court with a request to reconsider four years of imprisonment
sentence ruled out by a first instance court.
Defense attorney, Haik Alumyan, has submitted a mediation to release
Babajanyan on bail saying he is fully entitled to it.

GOVERNMENT FORESEES STEEP INCREASE IN SUBSIDIES TO PROTECT FORESTS
Armenpress
Nov 06 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: The government of Armenia believes
that a steep increase in government subsidies to restoration of
forests and planting new ones will result in dramatic decline of
illegal logging.
Thus, the government’s mid-term expenditure plan calls for a
significant upswing in allocations to protect and raise new forests
across the country. The government plans to release 650 million drams
for 2007 and as much for 2008. The increase is tangible if compared
with 459 million Drams released for 2006. The finance and economy
ministry explained the growth in subsidies by the necessity of proper
care after expanded forest areas. In 2007 the area under forests is
expected to grow by 4,500 and in 2008 by 5,000 hectares.
This project is part of the government Poverty Reduction Strategic
Paper (PRSP) and is supposed to reduce poverty levels in rural
communities close to forests. A massive inventory of forests launched
this year will continue into 2008. Experts estimate that around 22,000
hectares of forests are infected with different diseases.
In early 90-s when Armenia plunged into sever power crisis about 40,000
hectares of forests were logged and besides one third of forests are
no longer able to recover.

MICHAEL BAGDASAROV HAS NOT PLANS TO SELL STOCK OF ARMAVIA
Panorama.am
15:19 07/11/06
Michael Bagdasarov, head of Mika Ltd., refuted rumors that he is
going to sell the shares of Armavia air company. However, Bagdasarov
said he is going to sell 30% of his shares at VTB Armenia Bank. VTB
Armenia is former Armenian Saving Bank which is currently owned by
Russian Vneshtorgbank. Bagdasarov disapproves the policy of the present
management saying regional offices have started to suffer losses. He
said that was the reason for his decision to sell his shares.

POLITICIANS SAY ARMENIAN RUSSIAN RELATIONS BAD
Panorama.am
16:37 07/11/06
Armenian-Russian relations have never been as bad as today, Aram
Manukyan, Pan Armenian National Movement (HHSh) board member told at
national press club today, also saying “only the Armenian side is to
be blamed for that.”
Manukyan thinks Armenian-Russian relations are “humiliating” saying
Russia treats decently only to those countries which behave decently.
Aram Sargsyan, chairman of Armenian Democratic Party and a member of
parliament, supported Manukyan saying Russia would consider us as a
partner if we behaved like a partner. “Corrupt authorities cannot
conduct independent policy” and therefore keep to imposed policy,
he said.

MORE MONEY RELEASED TO CULTURE
Panorama.am
17:08 07/11/06
Some 62.4 million drams more money will be released from the state
budget to culture in 2007 as compared to 2006 recording 12.4% rise and
totaling 9 billion 770 million drams, Pavel Safaryan, deputy minister
of finance and economy said. Similar to other sectors, rise in salary
is expected in 2007 making up 36.3 thousand drams in average salary
against 30 thousand this year.
Big sums will be allocated to 16 libraries and National Library
totaling 177 million drams. Money will also be released to Garni,
Zvartnots museums which will have night illumination. Some 945 million
drams will be allocated to reconstruction and another 715 million to
recovery of cultural monuments.

KAZAKHSTAN, ARMENIA INK AGREEMENT ON CO-OPERATION BETWEEN OVERSIGHT BODIES
Gazeta, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan today
Nov 7 2006
ASTANA. Kazakhstan and Armenia have inked an agreement on co-operation
between oversight bodies of the two states. Rashid Tussupbekov, General
Prosecutor of Kazakhstan, has signed the agreement from Kazakhstan,
and Agvan Ovsepyan, General Prosecutor of Armenia, from Armenia,
the General Prosecutor’s press service reports.
“The key objective of the agreement is to increase the efficiency of
co-operation between the prosecuting bodies of Kazakhstan and Armenia,”
– a press release distributed Tuesday says. In particular, the sides
“have agreed on regulation of joint activities when oversight functions
protecting the rights and legal interests of citizens are carried out,”
the relapse says.
Mr. Tussupbekov and Mr. Ovsepyan also discussed co-operation in
combating crime at their meeting.
In conclusion of the meeting the General Prosecutor of Armenia,
invited his Kazakhstani counterpart to visit Armenia.

ARONYAN TO MEET WITH AZERI REPRESENTATIVE
A1+
[12:10 pm] 07 November, 2006
Today Armenian chess player Levon Aronyan will meet with Shakiryar
Mamedyarov, a chess player from Azerbaijan in the second phase of
Memorial Tournament of Michael Tall, ex World Chess Champion.
Reminder; the Azeri chess player met with Alexei Shirov in the first
tournament and tied the meeting.
Levon Aronyan beat his Russian representative, Alexander Morozevich in
the first tournament of the Memorial Tournament held in Moscow. Grand
Masters Boris Gelfand and Ruslan Ponomaryov also enjoyed victories. The
other two games of chess ended in a draw.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERIS ARE CONCERNED OVER THE ERECTION OF DALIBALTYAN’S STATUE
A1+
[01:35 pm] 07 November, 2006
The proposal of the Javakhq community to set up a monument to Armenian
General Dalibaltyan, the hero of the Artsakh war, aroused a great
complaint among the Azeris.
“Official Tbilisi will do its best to halt the negative outcome of the
statue unveiling on the Azeri-Georgian relations,” Georgian Ministry
of Culture told “Trend” agency.
Under the Georgian legislation, the Self-Government Bodies are entitled
to make a decision on the erection of statues.
The Azeris’ concern is also determined by the fact that there are
Armenians in the new Georgian Sakrebolo. The Georgian Minister of
Culture says that regarding the possibility of transferring the issue
to the political field they will take into account the interests of
neighbouring Azerbaijan too.