Author: Chaltikian Arsine

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

APA
Feb 25 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with
Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan within the framework of Ukrainian
newly-elected president Victor Yanukovich’s inauguration, APA reports
quoting CNN Turk.

After the one-hour meeting, Davutoglu told journalists that they
had comprehensively exchanged views on situation in the Caucasus and
normalization of Turkey – Armenia relations.

According to the minister, it was the first meeting after the last
decision of Armenian Constitutional Court and he discussed this issue
with his counterpart Edward Nalbandian before. "Today, I discussed
all aspects of normalization process of Turkey – Armenia relations
and openly exchanged views on the issues we are concerned about. We
also focused on Armenia – Azerbaijan relations and solution process of
Nagorno Karabakh conflict with the framework of OSCE Minsk Group. Such
contacts are very useful. Mutual misunderstandings are eliminated as
the contacts continue. We have to understand each other correctly.

Direct contacts assume great importance. I brought Turkey’s views and
positions on future of the region to the notice of Mr. Sargsyan. As
Turkey, we wish peace, welfare and stability to the Caucasus".

According to diplomatic sources, both sides were committed to the
process started with the signing of the protocols.

RA PRESIDENT LEFT FOR KIEV

news.am
Feb 25 2010
Armenia

February 25, Armenian delegation headed by RA President Szerh Sargsyan
left for Kiev to attend Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s
inauguration ceremony.

"Prosperous Armenia" Party (PAP) leader Gagik Tsarukyan, Adviser to
RA President Andranik Manukyan and RA Ambassador to Ukraine Armen
Khachatryan escort Serzh Sargsyan, RA Presidential Press Secretary
Samvel Farmanyan told NEWS.am.

As NEWS.am reported previously, numerous foreign delegations will
attend the ceremony. The Bulgarian, Turkish, Romanian, Hungarian,
Lithuanian, Latvian and Polish Presidents confirmed their
participation.

The EU delegation will be headed by Catherine Ashton, and the U.S.

delegation by U.S. Presidential National Security Advisor James Johns.

Serzh Sargsyan and his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gull will not
hold a meeting in Ukraine, in the course of their attendance of Viktor
Yanukovych’s inauguration ceremony, Farmanyan said.

‘TRIPTERAL’ TO SHOW AT SHEEHAN GALLERY

Whitman Pioneer
tripteral/
Feb 25 2010

On Tuesday, March 2, "Tripteral: Three Photographic Views" goes up
in the Sheehan Gallery, followed in the next few days by a series
of lectures and workshops related to the exhibits. "Tripteral" is
comprised of three separate exhibits all related to photography.

Tripteral is an architectural term used to describe a building
supported by three columns. Similarly, the exhibits, like columns,
can stand independently but are all related to the same theme.

"All three of the exhibits deal with photography in some way. Each
stands by itself as a separate exhibition but they also function
together," said Dawn Forbes, director of the Sheehan Gallery. "[The
exhibits] support this idea of photography as a generative practice
and a way of processing issues of culture and memory, history and
identity."

The first exhibition is "Memory Denied: The Photography of Kathryn
Cook." Associate Professor of History Elyse Semerdjian, who curates
the exhibition, received funding through the Ashton J. and Virginia
Graham O’Donnell Visiting Professorship in Global Studies Endowment
to bring Cook’s photography to Whitman. Cook took the photos, which
document the Armenian genocide trail, while traveling with Semerdjian,
who accompanied her as a translator.

Forbes describes Cook’s motivation for documenting the trail as a
desire to preserve and present memories in the face of the Turkish
government’s denial.

"There was a genocide that occurred [in Turkey] starting in 1915. [As
with] a lot of genocides . . . governmental regimes have changed,
revisionists have come in, and now there is a denial that this event
ever happened and a lot of the documentation about this genocide has
been destroyed," said Forbes. "So [Cook] traveled the trail following
what documentation remains and took pictures at sites as they exist
in contemporary times, based on records of places where things had
occurred."

The second exhibition, "Resistance and Rescue in Denmark: Photography
by Judy Ellis Glickman," also deals with genocide. Senior history
major Seth Bergeson became aware of the exhibition through the
non-governmental organization Humanity in Action, which focuses on
human and minority rights. In 2008 Bergeson received a fellowship to
work with Humanity in Action, studying human rights and the Holocaust
and conducting research in Washington, D.C. at the Holocaust Memorial
Museum. Bergeson then worked in Denmark, where he found out about
the Glickman exhibition. Originally sponsored by Humanity in Action,
the exhibition is touring over 150 locations in the United States,
France, England, Denmark and Israel. Bergeson then helped bring the
Glickman exhibition to the Sheehan Gallery. Glickman’s work captures
the aftermath of Denmark’s attempts to save its Jewish citizenry. The
exhibition contains photographic portraits taken of Danish Holocaust
resistors and the people they saved juxtaposed with photographs of
concentration camps in Eastern Europe.

"We sort of have this contrasting of survival and death, and the
difference between what happens when one resists a cultural genocide
and when one participates in it," Forbes said of the exhibit. "It’s
very powerful work to have."

Bergeson sees the exhibit as exemplary of Humanity in Action’s mission
to work towards social action.

"[Humanity in Action] is ultimately trying to empower people through
these histories [of resistance] to really critically look at history
and how western democracies have allowed these horrendous events to
happen and how we can prevent them in the future," he said.

The third exhibition is "Photo-bookworks," curated by artist David
Schulz, who taught in the fall as a visiting professor from Pratt
Institute’s College of Art. The exhibit will feature a number of
artists’ photo-bookworks from the Special Collections department in
Penrose Library, as well as selected prints from the books.

"It’s really a look at what a photo-bookwork is and how photographic
images can be read, and looking at the way in which that technology
is evolving," explained Forbes. "What we’re excited about with his
exhibition is that he’s producing a very limited edition artist
photo-book catalog to accompany his curation project."

Schulz’s fascination with photo-bookworks started when he was teaching
at Pratt.

"I was teaching photography and graphic design and I started bringing
together examples with specific kinds of visual motifs, like a series
or an index or a narrative or collage. I started to bring together
books to show my students examples of these kinds of motifs, and as I
started bringing together more of these books and sort of refining the
list I also started finding that a lot of these books kind of embodied
visual and verbal experience, not just visual things," he said.

For Schulz, much of the power of the photo-bookworks lies in the
arrangement and composition of the images within the books.

"When you see this kind of repetition it starts to imitate different
linguistic conventions. The pictures start to act like words in
a sentence," said Schulz. "I’ve found that a lot of the structures
of the pictures within these different works actually determine the
meaning of the pictures as much as the representational content that’s
within each image."

The opening reception for "Tripteral" will take place on Friday, March
5 ,following Cook’s lecture "Memory Denied" in Olin 130 at 5:30 p.m.

WHY DOES ARMENIA RUSHES WITH THE PROTOCOLS BY TRIPPING UP FUTURE FRIENDS?

Trend
Feb 25 2010
Azerbaijan

Trend News European Desk Commentator Elmira Tariverdiyeva

Last weeks and next ones will be crucial for Armenian-Turkish
relations. The protocols on the normalization of relations signed in
Zurich were submitted to the National Assembly of Armenia.

The Armenian government took this step despite assurances that the
Armenian Parliament will consider the protocols only after passing
the ratification procedure to the Turkish Majlis.

Moreover, the President of Armenia in the nearest future can take a
risk and go further – to submit protocols on the immediate unilateral
ratification.

According to Samvel Nikoyan, National Assembly deputy speaker,
Armenia can take the initiative and approve the documents without
waiting for Turkey, EurasiaNet.org reported.

"I think it would be much better if Armenia continues the initiative,"
Parliamentary member led by President Sargsyan’s Republican Party of
Armenia, Nikoyan, said at a press conference on Feb. 16.

Despite the indignation of Armenia’s internal forces concerning
the Armenian President’s actions, Sargsyan must take the risk for
several reasons. Of course, if the Majlis does not get the protocols
in the nearest future, Armenia will immediately leave the process I
should say that risk is fully justified given the reaction of foreign
observers at a "friendly gesture" of Armenia.

The fact is that Armenians must maintain the image of a
"long-suffering, deprived and betrayed" nation. By presenting itself
before the international community as an initiator, Armenia gains
points.

More than one year it will talk about the unfairness of the world in
which the agreements are not followed, even at the level of the signed
documents. Unfortunately, even now, many Western observers lose sight
of important moment of the Armenians’ behavior towards the documents.

On Jan.12, Armenia’s Constitutional Court confirmed that the protocols
complied with the country’s Constitution. It stressed that there is no
need for a joint commission that will investigate the 1915events that
occurred during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, and that Armenia will
never retract the requirement of recognizing the so-called "genocide."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that if the
Armenian Constitutional Court does not reconsider its decision on
the protocols between the two countries, relations between Ankara
and Yerevan can worsen.

Now, Turkey simply refuses to ratify the protocols. The most important
point of the protocols was deliberately refuted by Armenia’s principal
judicial organ. At the same time, the U.S. Congress has just in time
raised the genocide issue. However, it is unlikely to affect Ankara’s
position, which has ambitions not only in the South Caucasus but also
in the Middle East.

Turkey is developing a unified strategy with Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.

It is not profitable for it to remain in positions of ever standing
in line at the EU countries and absolute ally of the United States.

Ankara needs independence now more than ever. It is moving towards
it steadily.

Considering that any vote of the U.S. Congress, which will try to
reflect the historical facts of the 1915 events in a distorted manner,
will be a severe blow to Turkish-American relations, Armenians
are openly demonstrating good will, without worrying about the
consequences.

A bold decision not to wait for Turkey and first ratify the protocols
must have a positive impact on Armenia’s international image. The
expected unilateral ratification in the Armenian Parliament will
portray Turkey as an unreliable partner.

There is also another important point in the protocols. The Armenian
president and his government have the lowest legitimacy in the
country’s modern history. Therefore, many of President Sargsyan’s
foreign policy actions are desperate and try to deflect attention from
internal problems and shortcomings that have resulted from unresolved
political crisis in the country.

Enhancing dramatic statements and decisive actions of the Armenian
government has recently called upon to deflect attention from the
near anniversary on March 2. That day nine protesters were killed
and about 300 injured during protests against the present government
after the presidential elections in 2008.

In short, with the late ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols,
Yerevan is pursueing its own interests, caring little about a real
warming of relations with Ankara and tripping up future "friends."

SOCIAL REVOLT WILL HAPPEN

16936.html
11:27:13 – 24/02/2010

Interview with the ARF parliamentary member, economist Ara Nranyan

The Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan stated about the end of the
economic crisis. As an economist, do you share this opinion?

At the beginning of the crisis the same economy minister said that
Armenia will overcome the crisis in one year and a half, before
the rest of the world. Last statement of the minister leads us
to the conclusion that the government simply used the crisis to
avoid economic reforms. We have repeatedly stated that the economy
has numerous problems- high level of monopolization, low level of
economy’s diversification, dependence on import and great trade
deficit etc. Such serious issues can be solved only as a result
of consistent economic policy. We did not expect our government to
achieve the result we waited for. We just hoped the government would
take lessons from the crisis and will make the reforms the economy
of our country needs. But the anti-crisis moves of the government
pursued only one purpose – to gain time. Early on, the government
has attracted more than one and a half billion dollars, which were
used to cover the government deficit of 2009-2010 year. The rest of
the money is the reserves on account of which the government tries to
keep the currency market. If without correcting all these shortages,
the minister of economy says that we overcome the crisis shows that
the government did not make any conclusion.

That is, you say that they are just lying to people?

Previously, we said two-digit economic growth but in result of a
thorough examination it turned out that it was determined by the
construction. Industry and agriculture procured only two percent
of growth. Growth was observed only in the service sector and
construction, and construction was carried out by private transfers.

Now, to point the 2 percent of growth and to talk about the rise
is not correct. We have experienced such a deep crisis, that any
motion will be considered as rise. And we want structural reforms,
sustained development of production, improvement of competitiveness,
reduction of the trade balance. Talking about the rise is to protract
time, and wait until the next crisis. I think it will not take long:
if not by the end of this year, early next year, the government will
be compelled to take a new debt.

If the gas price enhancement is added to the economic crisis which
will bring about the price increase of a number of goods, can we
state that a social crisis is expected for Armenia?

It is my deep conviction that the biggest crisis today is
psychological. Our society must realize that the system of values,
which was based on money, went bankrupt. In the first place must be
public and national interests. 2010 will be difficult: gas price hike
will lead to higher prices for other goods. The purchasing power
of citizens has fallen: in 2009, an intensive inflation started,
and income of citizens did not increase. Even official data of
private transfers declined by 40%. In 2010, inflation will continue,
indexation will not, monopolization will remain, and standard of
living will decline.

Should we expect a social explosion?

If this continues, the striking of taxi drivers, truck drivers,
members of gold markets, others will join them. Mass protests will
grow. Unfortunately, in Armenia there is no tradition of protecting
workers’ rights. The energy of the people was directed at the solution
of national problems, and the tradition of social struggle is not
formed. But the more the government will promote the neo-liberal
ideas, the greater will be the awareness of society about the need
to protect their interests. So, a social revolt will happen because
people simply do not have anything to live with.

Interview by ARMAN GALOYAN

PROTEST RALLY IN DEFENSE OF JAVAKHK ARMENIANS AND VAHAGN CHAKHALYAN TO BE HELD IN LYON

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.02.2010 15:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A protest rally will be held on March 3 in front
of the Euronews headquarters in Lyon, France in defense of Armenians
of Javakhk and political leader of Javakhk Vahagn Chakhalyan, The
participants will protest against discriminatory policies of Georgian
authorities towards Javakhk Armenians, violations of human rights
by the Georgian authorities and the rights of the Armenian Apostolic
Church. The rally is organized by ‘rance-Javakhk’organization.

Javahk political leader Vahagn Chakhalyan on 7 April 2009 as a result
a shameful violation of justice by Akhaltskhe court of first instance
was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. On 30 October 2009 Georgian
Court of Appeals upheld the verdict intact. The case is currently is
in the process of appeal to the Supreme Court of Georgia.

NEW METHOD FOR ASSESSING WORK OF REGIONAL GOVERNORS TO BE IMPROVED

Noyan Tapan
Feb 24, 2010

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan on February 24 conducted a consultation, during which the
ministers and regional governors provided explanations regarding the
low assessment of the work done in marzes (regions) in 2009.

Tavush marz had received the highest total score. The prime minister
considered the difference between the indices of various marzes as
noteworthy. He underlined that by subjecting the indices to analysis,
the regional governors should identify their weaknesses and take the
necessary steps to eliminate these shortcomings in 2010.

The Deputy Prime Minister, RA Minister of Territorial Administration
Armen Gevorgian said that although assessment criteria had been
established through joint instructions with the ministries, actual work
is difficult to assess based on some criteria, so this methodology
is in need of improvement. In his words, at the present moment there
are no official differences among governors and ministries.

The RA Government Information and PR Department reports that stressing
the importance of the discussion, T. Sargsyan said: "It is for the
first time that we are assessing work of regional governors by the
methodology approved by the government, and an attempt is being made
to evaluate the work in a complex way". At the same time the prime
minister said that the methodolgy should be improved.

PROPOSAL TO CREATE A FRAMEWORK UNITING DIASPORA ARMENIANS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 23, 2010

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenians are great believers in
national unity. Actually, they are obsessed with it.

Yet, despite all the talk about unifying the Armenian people, writing
fiery poems and singing patriotic songs about the benefits of unity,
this most cherished dream remains elusive. Examples of failed attempts
at unity are aplenty. Even in perilous times, Armenians have remained
at odds and marched to the beat of different drummers.

However, as growing numbers of Armenians have come to realize that
unity is critical for their national survival, they have managed in
recent years to register modest successes in coalition building. Both
the worldwide Hayastan All Armenian Fund and the U.S.-based United
Armenian Fund consist of coalitions of major community organizations
that carry out humanitarian work in Armenia and Artsakh (Karabagh).

Ironically, as the proponents of unity have proliferated, so have the
schemes to unify Armenians, leading to potential new divisions on
how to achieve unification! There are now several such initiatives
in different parts of the world, ranging from bringing all Armenian
organizations under a single umbrella, to groupings of Armenian
professionals, compatriotic societies and Western Armenians. In a
recent column, the mere reference to the need for a Diaspora-wide
organizational structure generated an overwhelmingly positive response.

While all of the foregoing unity schemes merit serious consideration,
and their advocates may end up joining hands, I wish to present some
preliminary ideas which are the result of several years of reflection
and serious discussions with respected individuals and community
leaders in different countries.

My proposed scheme involves the establishment of a unity framework
representing Armenians throughout the Diaspora, excluding those
living in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh who are already
represented by their respective governments. The estimated seven
million Diasporans would be entitled to elect one representative
for every 20,000 Armenians living in a particular electoral
district. Candidates meeting certain pre-established qualifications
can nominate themselves to represent the 20,000 Armenians in their
district. Voters have to be at least 18 years old, be of Armenian
origin, and have a verifiable electronic or mailing address in their
electoral district. Armenians meeting these criteria can participate
in the election, regardless of their citizenship, country of origin,
religious or political affiliation. The election would be organized
on the basis of the democratic principle of "one man, one vote!"

In countries with a large Armenian population, several candidates
would be elected to represent each group of 20,000 residents. While
in sparsely Armenian-populated regions of the world, where 20,000
Armenians may be spread across several countries, one elected
individual would represent the Armenian residents of those countries.

Initially, there may be a low turn-out of voters. However, as the new
structure gains strength and legitimacy, it will attract a greater
number of participants. Elections do not have to be carried out
simultaneously throughout the Diaspora. They could be held initially
in one region to test the feasibility of the electoral procedures. In
this regard, I wish to welcome the recent decision by French-Armenian
community leaders to hold nationwide elections in France next year
to select their representatives.

It is important to note that only those elected by the public-at-large
can truly state that they represent the Armenians residing in their
district, while other community leaders can only claim to represent the
members of their own organization! Consequently, the collective body
of 350 representatives from all the electoral districts throughout
the Diaspora can officially claim to represent Armenians worldwide,
outside of Armenia and Artsakh.

This collective body will have an elected chairperson or Speaker,
committees and subcommittees dealing with culture, language, religion,
education, foreign affairs, rights of Armenian minorities, relations
with Armenia and Artsakh, Genocide recognition, demands for redress
from Turkey, and financial matters.

This 350-member body shall meet periodically and make decisions on
the basis of majority vote. On certain critical issues, the body could
adopt decisions by a two-thirds majority. Its decisions would reflect
the views of the entire Diaspora, not just a particular organization.

The existing Armenian organizations will continue to function with no
hindrance or competition from this new transnational entity. In fact,
the community organizations could expand their reach and increase their
clout by lobbying the elected representatives of this new collective
body to adopt their respective agendas. Since today’s Diaspora leaders
are prominent members of their communities, it would not be surprising
to see many of them elected to this new entity by popular vote.

A key advantage of the new structure is the likelihood of its
recognition by the United Nations and other regional and international
organizations as a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the right
to represent and speak on behalf of Diaspora Armenians.

The representatives of the new entity in a particular city or country
can also interact with local authorities on behalf of all Armenians
residing in that region. For example, the recent dispute among
Armenian-Americans about which group should represent the community
in a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could have been
easily avoided if the proposed transnational body were in existence.

Furthermore, Armenian government officials as well as foreign
leaders would know whom to call when they need to contact the elected
representatives of the Diaspora.

The representatives of this new structure could also endorse candidates
in local or national elections in different countries. This role
becomes crucial in key elections or when multiple Armenian candidates
run for the same office and split the Armenian vote, resulting in
the defeat of all Armenian candidates. Those endorsed by this body
would likely enjoy the support of the majority of local voters.

Before attempting to implement such an ambitious initiative, several
important steps need to be undertaken:

1) A team of researchers would need to study similar schemes created
by Israel, Greece, Lebanon, Italy, and other countries to benefit
from their experience. Such a study could be carried out by the USC
Institute of Armenian Studies which would then formulate the best
mechanisms to conduct elections worldwide, including estimating
the number of voters in each country, qualifications of voters and
candidates, and measures to prevent voter fraud. The Institute could
also propose significant details about the structure and function of
the collective body (meeting procedures, committees and subcommittees,
recall procedures, term limits, electing chairs and vice chairs).

2) Before any public announcement is made about the establishment
of the unity framework, the organizing committee should contact the
leaders of influential Diaspora organizations to acquaint them with
the new initiative and welcome their suggestions and support.

3) The organizing committee should also brief government officials
in Armenia and Artsakh about the objectives of the planned
organization, and secure their tacit support without their actual
involvement. After the newly-elected body becomes functional, its
authorized representatives would interact with officials of both
Armenia and Artsakh on a regular basis. It is critical to maintain
the independence of the Diaspora-wide body, in order to shield
Armenian officials from pressure by foreign powers to influence the
decision-making of the new entity.

Once established, this transnational organization would create for
the first time a representative body in the Diaspora with political
and economic clout capable of promoting Armenian interests, preserving
cultural values and defending Armenian rights worldwide.

By Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier

Azeri President Discusses Energy, Karabakh With State Dept. Envoy

t-discusses-energy-karabakh-with-state-dept-envoy/
By Asbarez Staff on Feb 19th, 2010

BAKU (News.az) – Azeri President Ilham Aliyev met Friday with U.S.
Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns for
talks that centered on energy and the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, the
AzerTaj state news agency reported.

Speaking to the visiting envoy, Aliyev described relations between
Azerbaijan and the United States as a `high-level partnership in
various spheres,’ and expressed confidence that ties would continue to
develop.

The Azeri President reiterated that Burns` current visit would
contribute to expanding relationship between the two countries.

For his part, the American diplomat said Washington attaches great
importance to its relationship with Azerbaijan. He also underscored
the Obama administration’s determination to strengthen ties with Baku.

Regional and international issues were also on the agenda of the meeting.

TURKISH MPS WARN USA AMBASSADOR THE PROTOCOLS WITH ARMENIA WILL NOT BE RATIFIED

State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan
February 17, 2010 Wednesday

After meeting at the Foreign Relations Committee of Turkish Parliament
(GNAT) with the USA ambassador in Ankara James Jeffrey, MP Onur
Oymen stated that the protocols signed with Armenia don`t include
any clause related to withdrawal of the Armenian troops from the
occupied Azerbaijani lands. Armenia, at his words, has no any proof
that the occupied regions belong to Armenia and this occupation fully
contradicts the international law. The statement by the Turkish Prime
Minister is both the position of the Turkish Government and the entire
Turkey, he stressed. Therefore, he underlined, without liberation of
the occupied lands, ratification of the protocols is impossible. We
openly stated it to the USA ambassador, Onur Oymen said.

The Ambassador, in turn, said he would convey parliamentarians`
statement to his government.

Deputy foreign minister of Turkey Ferudin Sinirlioglu and Turkey`s
ambassador to USA Namik Tan discuss the same question in Washington.