185 BURGLARIES RECORDED IN ARMENIA
/burglary
01:39 pm | February 22, 2010
Social
185 cases of burglary were reported in Armenian since January 1 with
70 being recovered.
Another 11 burglaries committed in 2009 were also revealed.
In the same period 386 cases of personal theft were recorded of which
217 were recovered.
Out of 11 illegal tree-felling 10 were disclosed.
OSCE TO CONDUCT THE RECURRENT MONITORING
armradio.am
23.02.2010 11:08
The recurrent monitoring of the line of contact between the Armed
Forces of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan will be carried
out in Aghdam region today.
>From the Azerbaijani side the monitoring will be conducted by the
Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk
and his Field Assistants Vladimir Chuntulov and Peter Kii.
>From the Armenian side the monitoring will be carried out by
Field Assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office Jaslin Nurtazin and Irzhi Aberle.
Lawsuit against Deno Gold Mining ends in amicable agreement
2010-02-20 15:47:00
ArmInfo. The lawsuit against Deno Gold Mining has ended in amicable
agreement.
To remind, in Nov 2009, supported by the "For Ecological Safety and
Democratic Development" NGO, 29 owners from Shahumyan district, Kapan,
asked the court of Syunik region to prevent the risks imposed on the
health and lives of people by the company’s mining activities in the
area.
Ecolur reports that Feb 17 2010 General Manager of Deno Gold Mining
Robert Falletta and the representative of the claimants, lawyer Irina
Manukyan signed an amicable agreement on behalf of 20 owners saying
that the property owned by the claimants in the risk zone should be
put up for sale by Mar 31 2010 and bought by Deno Gold Mining at
market price. 8 owners refused to sign the agreement and withdrew
their suit.
The press service of the "For Ecological Safety and Democratic
Development" NGO says that the outcome of this case and the fair
verdict of the court is a big success for not only the NGO and the
people but for Deno Gold Mining itself.
FURTHER PROVOCATION OF ARMENIAN SIDE NOT RULED OUT, MILITARY EXPERT
Uzeir Jafarov
news.az
Feb 19 2010
Azerbaijan
The Armenian side has a specific comprehension of the world, military
expert.
"First of all, I would like to voice the feeling of deep condolences
to relatives and fellows of the Azerbaijani servicemen, who died in
the result of shooting by Armenian snipers. Allah Rehmet Elesin",
said military expert Uzeir Jafarov commenting on the incident on the
contact line of the Azerbaijani and Armenian armed forces that killed
and wounded Azerbaijani armed soldiers on Thursday.
"Naturally, this next provocation of the Armenian side, cynical
ignoring of the ceasefire regime must be brought to the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs which says that there is no alternative to the peace
settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.
As we see, the Armenian side also has a specific perception of
the world. They understand it as a state that enables them to kill
Azerbaijani soldiers and scream every time when our side takes response
steps", Jafarov said.
He noted that this provocation was initiated by Armenians backed
by their supporters from among superpowers that are interested in
destabilization of the situation in our region so that to play a
peacekeeping role.
"The next provocations of the Armenian side are not ruled out. The
situation on the front line is becoming more strained. I would
recommend the commander of the army divisions on the front line to
be cautious and calm and not to yield to provocations of the Armenian
side", Jafarov concluded.
TURKEY SHOULD TAKE INITIATIVE IN RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA
news.az
Feb 18 2010
Azerbaijan
Robert Wexler A former US congressman suggested on Wednesday that
Turkey should be one step ahead in its relations with Armenia.
Robert Wexler, a former US congressman and former chairman of Congress’
Caucus on US-Turkish Relations, told a conference in Washington DC
that Turkey should assume in its relations with Armenia the one-step
ahead strategy it took on Cyprus.
Now the head of a think-tank, the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle
East Peace, Wexler appreciated the Turkish and Armenian governments’
steps to solve their problems and the political risks they had taken
on the road to peace.
Wexler said Turkey’s close relations with Iran could serve the efforts
of moderate elements in the region in the long term.
Wexler underlined the importance of Turkish-Israeli relations to the
United States, and argued that Israel should think about the roles
that Turkey could assume in humanitarian efforts in Gaza, which could
also help repair bridges between the two countries.
On Turkish-US relations, Wexler said not only President Barack Obama
but also Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attached great importance
to those relations.
RUSSIA, ABKHAZIA SIGN DEAL TO ESTABLISH MILITARY BASE
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
17.02.2010 16:58 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia and Abkhazia signed a deal on Wednesday,
February 17 to establish a Russian military base on the territory
of Abkhazia.
The deal was signed during Kremlin talks between Abkhazian leader
Sergei Bagapsh, who arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, and Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev.
The base is designed "to protect Abkhazia’s sovereignty and security,
including against international terrorist groups," the document said.
The agreement was signed for a term of 49 years with a possible
extension, RIA Novosti reported.
ISTANBUL’S PROSECUTOR GENERAL SUES TURKISH DAILY ‘RADIKAL’
Tert.am
11:29 * 17.02.10
Turkish daily Radikal is being sued. The reason? An interview,
published two months ago, with Emine Ayna, a member of the pro-Kurdish
Peace and Democracy party (which replaced the Democratic Society Party,
or DTP).
According to CNN Turk, Istanbul’s Prosecutor General has charged the
daily with "advocating on behalf of a terrorist organization" and is
seeking a two-year sentence for Radikal’s secretary Hasan Cakkalkurt
and journalist Rýfat Baþaran.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
Armenian Parliament not to discuss Protocols until they are ratified by Turkey
Home policy review for 8-15 February 2010
13.02.2010 GMT+04:00
Last week was marked by discussion and comments on the Armenian
President’s message to his Turkish counterpart, and Serzh Sargsyan’s
speech in the British Royal Institute of International Affairs Chatham
House. This week, the President of Armenia also submitted to the
Parliament the Armenian-Turkish Protocols.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Traditionally, some of the political forces of
Armenia, and most importantly, representatives of the coalition
government voiced criticism about Turkey. This week Member of the
faction ARF Dashnaktsutyun Artsvik Minasyan was the first. He called
to join efforts to ensure positive outcome of the ratification
process. He also criticized the position of those political figures
who are trying to instill discrepancy in the form of advancement of
the ratification process. “Instead of supporting this movement, people
are trying to deliver a blow to it, using all sorts of methods in
pursuit of personal, political or other benefits, not realizing that
it has a negative effect on our national interests,” Minasyan
declared.
On February 8, the interdepartmental working group on developing food
security in Armenia met to discuss food security issues. The meeting
was chaired by Secretary of the National Security Council (NSC) of
Armenia Artur Baghdasaryan. According to the decision of the National
Security Council and the order of the President of Armenia, food
security concept must be developed and submitted for approval in the
first half of 2010. Emphasizing the importance of food security, Artur
Baghdasaryan noted it is necessary to develop a concept that would
address the problem of food provision throughout the country, both in
ordinary conditions and in emergency and crisis situations.
Tuesday, February 9, President Serzh Sargsyan addressed a message to
his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, urging him to bring bilateral
relations up to a level where “the prospects of building normal
relations between the two countries become more tangible and
discernible”, and "the time has come to manifest determination to make
next major step and leave to the coming generations a stable and
secure region.” The President of Armenia underlined that results can
be achieved only if there is trust, resolve and unfaltering stance. “A
situation when words are not supported by deeds gives rise to mistrust
and skepticism, providing ample opportunities to counteract for those,
who oppose the process. We should be mindful of the fact that in this
particular case, the time is working not for but against the process,”
Sargsyan said in the letter.
On the same day representatives of the Republican Party of Armenia,
“Prosperous Armenia” and “Heritage” commented on the Armenian
President’s message sent to Abdullah Gul. According to Leader of the
Heritage parliamentary group Stepan Safaryan, the Armenian President
seeks to assure the Armenian public that the leadership sees no
problems in the Armenian-Turkish Protocols and is ready to move
forward. Another viewpoint was expressed by Member of the “Prosperous
Armenia” parliamentary faction Naira Zohrabyan. According to her, the
letter is a certain message addressed to the international community,
trying to show that Armenia stays true to the rules of the game and is
ready to establish relations with Turkey without any preconditions. A
similar view was expressed by Secretary of the Republican Party of
Armenia parliamentary faction Eduard Sharmazanov, who believes that
the President’s letter is a signal for the powers involved in regional
processes to positively affect the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation.
Wednesday, February 10, began with a critical assessment of the
process of Armenian-Turkish rapprochement. According to expert at the
Armenian Center of Political and International Studies Ruben
Mehrabyan, the “football diplomacy” proved inefficient, and “No matter
how often politicians reiterate that Nagorno-Karbakh conflict
settlement process in not interconnected with the Armenian-Turkish
reconciliation, the linkage is obvious.” “Armenia has still a lot to
lose from this process,” said the political scientist, adding that the
exchange of offences between Yerevan and Ankara are crossing the
borders of decency.
On the same day RA President’s message received comments from ARF
Dashnaktsutyun parliamentary group Leader Vahan Hovhannisyan.
According to him, “President Sargsyan made the Turkish side fear from
a possible failure of the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, and freed
Armenia of responsibility for it”.
In the evening Armenian President’s speech given in Chatham House, the
British Royal Institute of International Affairs, received a high
response. The President touched upon almost all aspects of the foreign
policy of Armenia: Armenian-Turkish rapprochement,
Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict, Genocide recognition, regional security
and international cooperation. For the first time from an
international rostrum there were voiced facts without sleek diplomatic
language at the level of a head of state. “We have to realize that the
people of Karabakh consider that they have managed, on the one hand,
to restore historical justice distorted during Stalin’s dictatorship,
and, on the other, to safeguard the minimum conditions necessary for
their physical survival. It is with this realization that we continue
the talks with Azerbaijan and perceive the peace process and the
efforts of the mediators,” the Armenian leader said.
Serzh Sargsyan once again stressed that in the issue of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Armenia rules out any concessions, which
would call into question the physical existence and security of the
Nagorno-Karabakh people, and their right to a noble life.
Thursday, February 11, the Government of Armenia met to approve the RA
draft law “On Making Addenda to RA law on international treaties”.
Under this law, signer of the contract has the right not to become a
party to the treaty, clearly stating about his/her intention any time
before the treaty enters into force. In the prescribed manner the bill
will be submitted to the National Assembly of Armenia.
Friday, February 12, the Armenian-American Chamber of Commerce
together with the Foundation for Political Studies and in association
with the U.S. Embassy in Armenia organized a public debate on
“Armenian-Turkish relations and cross-border regionalism”. Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan and U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie
Yovanovitch attended the debate. As the Armenian Prime Minister noted,
now Turkey and Armenia have a unique chance to improve relations,
since this is the case when stances of all the superpowers coincide.
In her turn, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch stressed,
“No one forgets the past, but it is necessary to look into the future.
No country should depend on a single transport corridor”.
On the same day ARFD reiterated its negative attitude to the
approaching ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols. At a press
conference in Yerevan, Kiro Manoyan, Director of ARF Bureau’s Central
office of Hay Dat, stated that Armenia should immediately declare the
failure of normalization process with Turkey. The longer the process
lasts the more likely Turkey is to impose its conditions on Armenia,
Manoyan believes. “Turkey seeks progress in Karabakh conflict
settlement but serious progress is not to be expected in the near
future. The Protocols are leverage in the hands of Ankara, and she can
make use of them in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict,” said
Director of Hay Dat.
On Friday Head of RPA parliamentary group Galust Sahakyan declared
that on the same day Armenian-Turkish Protocols would be submitted to
the RA National Assembly. According to him, it is a mere procedure and
the National Assembly of Armenia will not discuss the Protocols until
the Turkish Parliament ratifies them. At the same time touching upon
ratification of the Protocols by Ankara, Sahakyan said the reasonable
period of time has long expired. “Our patience wears thin. If Turkey
goes on at that rate, signatures will be recalled,” stressed Sahakyan.
On February 12, RA National Security Council Secretary Artur
Baghdasaryan met with CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha in
Yerevan. The meeting centered on Armenia-CSTO collaboration issues.
The parties also emphasized the importance of cooperation in
military-technical, IT, and anti-trafficking spheres.
Mikhail Balayan
Today, Azerbaijan
Feb 12 2010
Serzh Sargsyan acts like preschooler in London fog
12 February 2010 [12:12] – Today.Az
People behave somewhat strangely in a foreign environment. Jeb Stuart
Magruder, who held the second most important post in a committee to
reelect Richard Nixon and a major figure in the famous "Watergate"
scandal, recalled how the whole entourage of power had had a toxic
impact on the junior staff of the presidential administration ` black
government limousines, VIP planes and infantrymen extending their
hands to help a "very important person…"
It seems a cruel joke was played on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
during his visit to the United Kingdom.
What really happened to Serzh Azatovich in the London fog is not known
for certain. Maybe, after Azerbaijan was represented at Davos, and in
Munich, while Armenia was not invited, Sargsyan, being at the center
of politicians’ attention in London, clearly felt like a preschooler
and climbed on a stool in the center of a crowded room.
Maybe, prior to the speech, he had drunk too much Armenian cognac or
Scotch whisky, but during a speech at the Chatham House Serzh
Azatovich got totally carried away.
So, he decided to read a lecture on history to London analysts and
tell them how wrongly the borders were formed in the 1920s and
attempted to prove that Nakhchivan ostensibly is also "the Armenian
autonomy,’ tearfully recounting how Azerbaijanis "tortured" and
"oppressed" long-suffering Armenians and as a result "Karabakh
Armenians" were forced to take up arms in order to stay Armenians…
The apotheosis, however, came when Sargsyan began to talk about the
Armenian-Turkish talks. Promising as the leader of the parliamentary
majority that there will be no problems with the ratification of the
Zurich protocols, he expressed his surprise why Gul and Erdogan cannot
push the ratification of the protocols in parliament! What to do if
the idea of the legislature and its independence from Sargsyan is
somewhat unusual.
They are based on the experience of March 1-2, 2008, when people
protesting election fraud were shot in Yerevan and "hearings" in the
Armenian parliament, where more than half of MPs have rogue nicknames
such as "Leva with flour mills" or "Shmays." Deputies holding such
names understand that quarrel with the government would mean an end of
their "business" or a prison..
Addressing the audience from the podium at the Chatham House, the
president pounced upon the principle of territorial integrity in the
style of the first Karabakh rallies and exclaimed: Why could Karabakh
not secede from Azerbaijan while Azerbaijan could secede from the
Soviet Union? In short, he said not what those in London expected him
to say. Of course, we can assume that Sargsyan simply chose not the
right audience. In London he said what was intended for Yerevan and
Gyumri, where zealous `Armenian patriots’ accuse President of almost a
"betrayal of national interests.’ Probably, he had the Armenian
audience in mind so that they will find proper degree "of loyalty to
the Armenian cause" in his speech.
The president received an invitation to speak from Lord Robertson, one
of the architects of the Kosovo process. This was enough for him to
make parody in the worst traditions: if you repeat the statements that
Hashim Thaci made aloud from the podium to defend Kosovo’s
independence, the next morning London will prepare documents for
recognition of Karabakh’s independence, and even send troops to ensure
security guarantees.
But the reality is simpler. Because Sargsyan’s speech in the worst
traditions of the first Karabakh rallies once again showed that it is
not always possible to "reformat" "warlords,’ adept at ethnic
cleansing and looting, to respectable politicians.
What a mockery of fate! Sargsyan, who once said in a conversation with
British journalist Thomas de Waal that in Khojaly the Armenian army
proved that Armenians can raise their hands on the civilian population
without hesitation, wants to be a bona fide politician.
However, delivering his speech before the London audience, he acted
not as President Sargsyan, but as "field commander" Serjik who arrived
in London from Karabakh with pockets full of stolen earrings torn from
ears. Intoxicated over being the focus of attention, he began saying
how he was right and what preaching the historical reasons for
shooting women and kids n Khojaly.
He did not care how refined the London audience would accept it: They
helped us during the First World War, and they will help now, too!
But the London audience will unlikely accept the verbal escapades
Sargsyan wants them to.
Nurani
Day.Az writer
URL:
TURKISH NATIONALISTS THREATEN WITH NEW OGUN SAMASTS AND NEW HRANT DINKS
ArmInfo
2010-02-12 16:42:00
ArmInfo. The Web site for Turkey’s leading Armenian newspaper was
hacked in the early hours on Friday.
Hackers identifying themselves as "AK Hacker" overtook the Agos
Web site and put up an image of Ogun Samast, the alleged murderer
of the former editor in chief of the daily, Hrant Dink. The image
was accompanied by a text that criticized opposition to the ruling
party and stated the act of hacking was "an action that will go on
to spread like poison to others who oppose the current powers."
The note also made a chilling threat given the murder of Hrant Dink:
"If you do not fix your reporting in the way we see fit, there will
be new Ogun Samasts and new Hrant Dinks."
Here’s a translation of the full text on the hacked site:
"You either love or you leave it. Or like the traitor Hrant, you die
and disappear. You are you. You know yourself as much as we know you.
You lived through what you deserved and it will continue as such.
This act take on behalf of the Turkish flag, which is not on your Web
site, and in the name of the Turkish Republic, will continue to spread
like poison to others who oppose the current powers and everyone who
opposes will be affected as such. If you do not change your articles
and your words and your actions along the lines that we see fit,
then there will be new Ogun Samasts and new Hrant Dinks.
Thinking you’re smart is your biggest ignorance. Just as the traitors
who have given up their Turkishness will one day be expelled from the
borders of this country, Turkey will be cleansed thanks to the current
powers in Turkey and all slander campaigns will be unsuccessful and
inconclusive from now on.
"GAME OVER!
To recall, Hrant Dink was assassinated in Istanbul in January 2007,
by Ogun Samast, a 17-year old Turkish nationalist. At his funeral,
two hundred thousand mourners marched in protest of the assassination,
chanting "We are all Armenians" and "We are all Hrant Dink". Dink was
best known for advocating Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and human
and minority rights in Turkey; he was often critical of both Turkey’s
denial of the Armenian Genocide, and of the Armenian diaspora’s
campaign for its international recognition.[1][2] Dink was prosecuted
three times for denigrating Turkishness, while receiving numerous
death threats from Turkish nationalists. Criticism of Article 301
became increasingly vocal after his death, leading to parliamentary
proposals for repeal.