Author: Chmshkian Vicken

GREAT FAST BEGINS TODAY: NO DAIRY OR ANIMAL PRODUCTS ALLOWED

Tert.am
13:12 ~U 15.02.10

Today, Armenian Chrisitans begin fasting for Lent, about 40 days or
so before Easter.

Armenians call this period "Great Lent" or "Great Fast," though
abstinence, instead of fast, would be a more accurate way of describing
how the devout observe this period.

Observance of Great Lent is characterized by abstinence from dairy and
animal products (except fish), as well as refraining from gambling,
lying, swearing and other sins. It might also involve giving up
something one enjoys in order to focus on prayer, self-examination
and repenting from one’s sins.

According to armenianchurch.net, "Lent is a special time in the year
when we guard against worldly distractions and make room for the Holy
Spirit to fill us.

"During Lent we go into our own inner wilderness – caused by sins,
spiritual laziness, and empty vanity. There we confront the devil.

Through prayer, fasting, Bible reading, and self-examination, we gain
the strength to work at being more loving, humble, and gentle."

Le Monde, France
13 février 2010 samedi

TURQUIE-ARMéNIE;
La normalisation remise en question

ANKARA. Quatre mois après la signature d’un accord historique entre la
Turquie et l’Arménie sur l’ouverture de leur frontière commune, Ankara
et Erevan s’accusent mutuellement de chercher à réécrire le texte des
accords. Serge Sarkissian, le chef de l’Etat arménien, a déclaré,
mercredi 10 février, que les accords devaient d’abord être entérinés
par le Parlement turc avant que le Parlement arménien ne les approuve
à son tour, et il avait averti que l’Arménie pourrait interrompre le
processus de normalisation si la Turquie " traînait les pieds ". –
(AFP.)

TO HERO OF ARTSAKH KNIGHT OF "GOLDEN EAGLE" ORDER MR. ZORI BALAYAN

Azat Artsakh Newspaper NKR
February 10, 2010

Respected Mr. Balayan, On behalf of the people and authorities of
Artsakh I cordially congratulate You on the occasion of Your 75th
birthday. You belong to people who are considered to be the pride of
their compatriots, who have served as striking example of dedicating
the whole life to Motherland and people. In Artsakh we rate high
your devotion and allegiance to the ideas of national liberation
movement and inexhaustible efforts directed to their realization. For
purposeful and patriotic activity You have been awarded the highest
title of the Hero of Artsakh. Your contribution to strengthening
and developing ties between the Motherland and the Diaspora, as well
as to patriotic education of the younger generation is immense. I
am confident that the generations to come will always remember You
as a prominent physician, writer, publicist, social and political
figure, devoted son of the Armenian people. I congratulate You once
again on Your glorious anniversary and wish You Karabagh longevity,
inexhaustible energy and success in the realization of your patriotic
undertakings. With deep respect Bako Sahakyan

.

PROTOCOLS SUBMITTED TO ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT

ls-submitted-to-armenian-parliament/
Feb 12th, 2010

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)-President Serzh Sarkisian formally sent Armenia’s
normalization agreements with Turkey to parliament for ratification
on Friday after his government approved legal amendments making it
easier for Yerevan to walk away from the deal.

The government said in a statement on Thursday that the proposed
amendments to an Armenian law on international treaties allow Yerevan
"not to become a party" to a particular agreement before its entry
into force.

"We are now establishing that before the entry into force of an
international treaty Armenia may stop participating in it," Deputy
Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian was reported to say during
a cabinet meeting. He said the president of the republic would be
able to "terminate or suspend the process of signing" such a treaty.

Sarkisian announced his intention to enact such amendments in December
in response to Turkish leaders’ continuing statements making the
ratification of the Turkish-Armenian "protocols" conditional on
a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh favoring Azerbaijan. He made
clear that Yerevan will annul the deal if Ankara fails to implement
it within a "reasonable" time frame.

Sarkisian reaffirmed the threat during a visit to London this week.

"If, as many suspect, it is proven that Turkey’s goal is to protract,
rather than to normalize relations, we will have to discontinue the
process," he warned.

Sarkisian stressed at the same time that Armenia’s National Assembly,
dominated by his loyalists, will promptly ratify the protocols in
the event of their endorsement by the Turkish parliament.

His press secretary, Samvel Farmanian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service
on Friday that the president has asked the assembly to start the
ratification process. Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has been
tasked with "presenting" them to Armenian lawmakers, Farmanian said.

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan described the dispatch of the protocols
to the parliament as further proof of Yerevan’s "sincere desire to
establish good relations with neighboring states." He said it showed
that "we are prepared for the ratification of those protocols."

"It is a signal to both our domestic public and the international
community," the premier declared at a panel discussion on
Turkish-Armenian relations held in Yerevan on Friday.

"But they will not be debated until Turkey’s parliament ratifies the
protocols," Galust Sahakian, the parliamentary leader of the governing
Republican Party of Armenia, clarified in an interview with RFE/RL’s
Armenian service.

Sahakian also confirmed that the amendments drafted by the government
allow Armenia to withdraw its signature from the protocols. "After all,
reasonable timeframes must have an end-point, and if the Turkish side
again tries to drag out the process … we will simply be obliged to
withdraw our signature," he said.

"In my view, that reasonable time frame is already expiring," added
Sahakian. "We are just waiting for the glass to be filled to the brim."

Opposition lawmakers critical of the Turkish-Armenian agreements were
less than satisfied with the draft amendments. Armen Rustamian ,the
chairman of the parliament committee on foreign relations and the
leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Supreme Council in
Armenia, dismissed them as "cosmetic."

"These changes are mainly a political trick with which the authorities
are trying to show Turkey that they have such an option and thereby
to prod Turkey to ensure a quick protocol ratification," said
Artsvik Minasian, another ARF lawmaker. He reaffirmed the party’s
strong opposition to an unconditional Armenian ratification of the
protocols, saying that would contradict a ruling handed by the Armenian
Constitutional Court last month.

The Turkish government likewise claims that the court ruling is
at odds with key protocol clauses. It is particularly unhappy with
the court’s conclusion that the protocols cannot stop Armenia from
advocating international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The Sarkisian administration has insisted, however, that the court’s
interpretation does not run counter to the letter and the spirit of
the deal. U.S. officials have made similar statements.

WEST PRESSURISES TURKEY

The Messenger
Feb 12 2010
Georgia

The West is pressurising Turkey to normalise its relations with
Armenia. According to regnum.ru the Head of the International
Centre for Strategic Research in Turkey has stated that the West is
pressurising Turkey to open its border with Armenia even if some
of the details of this reopening contradict Turkish interests and
regional policy. He thinks that Turkey is under pressure from both
the USA and senior EU officials, who are putting on the table the
question of Turkey’s accession to the EU.

Turkey has clearly stated that opening the border and normalising
relations with Turkey will become possible if Armenia gives up
its claims to some Turkish territory, stops seeking international
recognition of the humanitarian catastrophe at the beginning of the
20th century as genocide and liberates the Azerbaijani territory it
has occupied. Armenian-Turkish protocol ratification will not take
place unless these preconditions are met.

TURKEY EXPECTS KAZAKHSTAN’S OSCE ROLE OVER KARABAKH ISSUE

Feb 12 2010
Turkey

Davutoglu said Kazakhstan might step in for the solution of the Upper ,
as the chair of OSCE.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Kazakhstan might step
in for the solution of the Upper , as the chair of the Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe(OSCE).

Davutoglu who is on an official visit to Kazakhstan told AA that
he was confident that Kazakhstan would take important steps for the
solution of the Upper Karabakh issue between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Davutoglu said they discussed the issue with his Kazakh counterpart
Kanat Saudabayev and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

"As far as I know Mr. Saudabayev will be visiting both Baku and
Yerivan in the days to come. We communicated our position to them.

Kazakhstan may make significant contributions regarding Upper Karabakh
issue. We are hopeful about the term ahead" said Davutoglu.

Referring to the remarks made by Armenian President Serzh Sargsian at
a conference in London, refusing to take any steps for the solution
of the Upper Karabakh issue, and calling on Turkey to reveal its
intention, Davutoglu said Turkey’s made its intention clear to all
parties.

"Turkey will support all steps taken toward the establishment of
peace," said Davutoglu.

Sargsian had said during his address at a conference Wednesday in
London that Turkey set forth the Upper Karabakh issue as a precondition
for the approval of the normalisation protocols with Armenia, adding
that such an attitude jeopardised both the Upper Karabakh issue and
the normalisation of relations with Turkey.

"Mediation on Iran"

Commenting on the recent raw between Iran and the international
community, Davutoglu said he wanted to visit Iran next Tuesday,
signalling a Turkish initiative for mediation.

"We are ready to do everything within our reach for overcoming the
current tension through peaceful means," said Davutoglu.

Davutoglu who also commented on the Cyprus issue reiterated Turkey’s
stance in support of a lasting solution, said they did not want
settlement talks to be interrupted.

TURKEY SENDING TOP OFFICIAL TO WASHINGTON ON EVE OF MARCH 4TH GENOCIDE VOTE

2010/02/12 | 10:04

Region

Turkey is sending a high-ranking Foreign Ministry official to
Washington DC to discuss bumps in the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation
process. Feridun Sinirlioglu, the Undersecretary of the Foreign
Ministry, will visit the U.S. on February 13.

This latest diplomatic move by Turkey comes on the eve of a March 4
non-binding resolution vote by the House Foreign Affairs Committee
urging President Barack Obama to describe the events of 1915 as
"genocide". Mr.Sinirlioglu is expected to tell the U.S. official
that the vote will further damage the Turkey-Armenia reconciliation
process that has already hit the rocks due to the recent decision of
the Armenia’s constitutional court.

Mr. Sinirlioglu is expected to seek assurances from the U.S.

administration that the Armenian court’s ruling will not legally
prevent the discussion of Armenian genocide "claims".

Turkey believes the pending resolution is aimed at putting pressure
on the government to pass the protocols through Parliament. In an
interview over the weekend, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu denounced
the committee for scheduling a vote on an Armenian genocide resolution
at this time, saying that its passage would seriously harm Turkey’s
relations with both the United States and Armenia.

TURKISH OFFICIAL: IF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT RATIFIES ANKARA-YEREVAN PROTOCOLS, ONE CAN NOT EXPECT SAME FROM TURKISH PARLIAMENT

Trend
Feb 10 2010
Azerbaijan

If the Armenian parliament ratifies the Armenian-Turkish protocols,
one can not expect the same from the Turkish parliament without
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkey-Azerbaijan
Interparliamentary Friendship Group Head Mustafa Kabakchi said.

"Even if the Armenian parliament ratified the protocol, the
Turkish parliament will not ratify them without resolution to
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as, Azerbaijan is more important
strategic partner for Turkey, than Armenia," he told Trend News over
the telephone.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has today tasked its administration
to send the Armenian-Turkish protocol to the parliament for
ratification in the coming days.

The Armenian President informed about this in his speech at the
Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, the Mediamax
special correspondent reported from London.

Feb.9, Sargsyan addressed to his Turkish Counterpart Abdullah Gul,
urging Ankara to respect the reached agreements.

Turkey will continue to be faithful to the promises that Ankara gave
to Azerbaijan, he said.

The fact that Serzh Sargsyan has today tasked its administration to
send the Armenian-Turkish protocol to the parliament for ratification,
does not mean that the procedure will be conducted, he said.

STRIPTEASE CLUBS TO GET STATE LICENSE IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2010-02-11 22:25:00

ArmInfo. Government of Armenia is expected to regulate the sphere of
striptease services.

Justice Minister of Armenia Gevorg Danielyan said at the government on
Thursday that the package of amendments to a number of laws proposed
by the government recognizes striptease services licensed activity
and makes a number of restrictions. In particular, he said, the
organizations offering striptease services must be located at least
300 meters from residential buildings, educational establishments,
libraries, administrative buildings, state power agencies and the local
self-government, health case facilities, public parks ands religious
organizations. In addition, distance between the organizations
providing relevant services must at least 50 meters.

Striptease services must be provided in special premises with no
translucent windows and doors with no external plates with pictures
characterizing activity of the given establishments. Persons below 18
must not be allowed to striptease establishments. Danielyan said that
the presidential administration proposes differentiated approaches
to such organizations in regions and the capital city. Yerevan
Municipality proposed restrictions on striptease clubs, saunas and
discotheques.

The government decision implies closing of the greatest part of
striptease clubs in Yerevan or their moving to the industrial districts
of the city.

ARTSAKH’S FM MEETS WITH CILIKIA HOLY SEE CATHOLICOS ARAM I

Aysor
Feb 11 2010
Armenia

Foreign Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh), Georgy
Petrosian, who is on a three-day visit to Lebanon, together with
Armenia’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Ashot Kocharian, has met with His
Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia.

Georgy Petrosian will also meet with leaders of Armenian parties
and public figures of Lebanon, a spokesperson for the NKR Foreign
Ministry said.