ARMENIA-NAKHIJEVAN BORDER HIT BY EARTHQUAKE
Panorama.am
17/05/2010
Armenia-Nakhij evan border has been hit by earthquake today 23km south
from the city of Vayq at 14:25 by local time.
Seismic security service told Panorama.am the quake measured 2,7
magnitude with 3-4 in its epicenter.
No other details are provided.
Sunday’s Zaman, Turkey
May 16 2010
The unraveling of relations between Azerbaijan and the US
AMANDA PAUL [email protected] Columnists
It is increasingly evident that the South Caucasus region is far from
being a key issue of US focus these days. Since the arrival of
President Barack Obama at the beginning of 2009, the region seems to
have been increasingly defined principally through the prism of
Russia. The previously relatively strong ties between Baku and the US
have taken a battering over the last year, and this strategic drift
could potentially lead to serious damage in relations if the US does
not wake up and move away from its short-term policy for short-term
gains attitude. This new approach from the US has come as a slap in
the face to Baku because Azerbaijan has, over the years, invested a
lot in its relationship with the US, proving to be a reliable partner
for US strategic interests and policies in the South Caucasus-Caspian
region. Azerbaijan has been at the forefront of the opening of Caspian
energy resources to the West as well as playing a crucial role in the
American-led `Global War on Terror’ when the South Caucasus became a
potential launch pad for US military forces en route to the Middle
East and Afghanistan with Azerbaijani airspace opened for Operation
Enduring Freedom. It is a natural transport and energy corridor along
the axis of the west and east, north and south, and Baku is emerging
as the capital of Eurasia, consolidating Azerbaijan’s position as a
strategic hub in Eurasia.
While on the one hand the US has rolled back its involvement in the
South Caucasus/Caspian region in exchange for cooperation with Russia
on issues such as Iran, on the other it is progressively portraying
itself as having an increasingly pro-Armenian policy which has
impacted issues of key strategic importance to Azerbaijan and in
particular the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, where Baku
feels the US is no longer an impartial player.
Although the US started to `pull out’ of the South Caucasus following
the 2008 Russian-Georgian war when Russia was allowed to `move around
the furniture’ in the South Caucasus with relative ease, it is more
recent US initiatives that have really begun to worry Baku. This is
principally the US-facilitated Turkey-Armenia rapprochement, which
Washington seemed to want `at any price,’ including the signing of the
two protocols aimed at the normalizing of relations on Oct. 10, 2009.
The US’s strong pressure on Turkey to open the border before a
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has not only failed but
has also left a very bad taste in Baku’s mouth. These developments
totally undermined the position of Azerbaijan, which wants any
normalization of Turkey’s relations with Armenia to be conditional on
a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, believing that opening
the border in any other circumstances will simply make the Armenians
more intransigent. The US used to be the only power in the region that
both sides trusted; this is no longer the case as the US can no longer
be viewed as an impartial actor. While international law is clearly on
the side of Azerbaijan, the West remains inconsistent on its approach.
While Armenia continues to occupy seven Azerbaijani regions from which
almost 1 million Azerbaijanis were driven almost 20 years ago, the
West is more concerned about Armenian events that took place almost a
century ago. Furthermore, the US Congress has allocated direct aid to
Nagorno-Karabakh, which contradicts the State Department’s policy in
the region. The longer these conflicts drag on the more difficult it
becomes to reinstate territorial integrity, and the separatists become
more confident and difficult to deal with.
The upshot is that for Azerbaijan, the US has lost its neutrality.
This development now seriously jeopardizes progress on the conflict
but also the strategic alliance between the two countries, which has
sought to enhance European energy security, strengthen the
independence of the post-Soviet states and promote integration of
Azerbaijan into the Euro-Atlantic community. This was further
underlined when on April 19 Baku announced the suspension of military
exercises planned with the US for May. Coming only a few days after
the launch of Obama’s nuclear summit in Washington to which Azerbaijan
was not invited, it was taken as yet another confirmation of
Washington’s pro-Armenian bias. Azerbaijan has been very disappointed
by the US’s failure to appoint a new ambassador to the country. The
post has now been open for some eight months.
The US lacks a coherent and principled approach and needs to consider
very seriously what the possible end consequences of this
short-sighted policy could be — not least because Washington’s
short-sighted policy is pushing Azerbaijan further into the arms of
Moscow, with whom Baku has increasingly intensified relations over the
last few years, something the men in the Kremlin are more than happy
with.
ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN TRIANGLE DISCUSSED THURSDAY
Belmont Citizen-Herald
May 13 2010
MA
Belmont, Mass. — Prof. James R. Russell, Mashtots Professor of
Armenian Studies at Harvard University, will give a lecture entitled
Magic From Greater Iran: The Parthian-Armenian-Russian Triangle
at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 13, at the National Association for
Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) Center, 395 Concord Ave. in
Belmont. Prof. Russell’s lecture will be given in honor of the 90th
birthday of Prof. Richard N. Frye.
The lecture will consider the web of word, meaning, and sound and
explores the ways our minds and spirits can still be revived by the
heritage of wonder that emerges from the Iranian-Armenian-Russian
triangle.
Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
Center is located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the
U.S. Post Office. Ample parking is available around the building and
in adjacent areas.
More information about the lecture is available by calling
617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing
to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.
CZECHS BET ON ARMENIAN HYDROPOWER RESOURCES
ADP News Renewable Energy Track
May 10, 2010 Monday 3:49 PM EEST
Being attracted by rich hydropower resources in Armenia, Czech
entrepreneurs are on track to invest in construction of hydropower
plants (HPPs) in the country, prime minister Tigran Sarkisian said
yesterday.
Commenting on a last week visit to Prague and talks with Czech prime
minister Jan Fischer, Sarkisian said that some Armenian companies
are already cooperating with Czech companies on a building and
reconstructing small-scale HPPs.
Last year, Armenian HPPs produced about 2 billion kWh of electricity,
almost one third of overall 5.8 billion KWh generated in 2009.
According to experts, at present only one third of the country’s
hydropower resources are being used.
DES EX-MILITAIRES RECONNAISSENT ETRE A L’ORIGINE D’UNE FUITE
par Stephane
armenews
lundi10 mai 2010
ARMENIE
Deux anciens fonctionnaires du Ministère de la Defense Nationale
ont admis avoir revele un ordre secret du gouvernement qui a montre
la participation de militaires armeniens dans la repression de
protestations de l’opposition en 2008 a Erevan.
Armen Sargsian, l’ancien chef du departement de la construction du
ministère et un de ses anciens subalternes, Lyusia Ayvazian, ont
plaide coupable des accusations criminelles lance a leur encontre
devant une cour generale dans la capitale.
Tous les deux avaient ete arrete plus tôt cette annee et accuse
d’avoir transmis le document au quotidien pro-opposition " Haykakan
Zhamanak " en decembre. Le journal papier l’avait publier soulevant
des e questions sur l’utilisation de la force contre des milliers de
protestataires de l’opposition qui se sont barricades dans le centre
ville les 1 et 2 mars 2008.
La directive ecrite a ete signee le 23 fevrier 2008 par le Ministre
de la Defense Nationale Mikael Harutiunian immediatement après que le
president sortant Robert Kocharian ait ordonne aux fonctionnaires en
chargede la securite de l’Armenie de contrecarrer ce qu’il a appele
des tentatives par le chef de l’opposition Levon Ter-Petrosian de "
saisir le pouvoir par des moyens illegaux. "
La directive a place les forces armees de l’Armenie en alerte et a
ordonne au Ministère de la Defense Nationale de former des groupes
speciaux d’officiers et de leur remettre des armes. Harutiunian a
aussi donne des instructions au commandant de la garnison de l’armee
d’Erevan, le General Yuri Khachaturov, de former une structure de
commandement special avec pour objectif le contrôle illimite des
unites militaires placees dans et autour de la capitale armenienne.
Le Congrès National Armenien de Ter-Petrosian (HAK) a denonce le
document comme illegal pretendant que l’ordre a viole la constitution
de l’Armenie.
Le HAK l’a presente comme une nouvelle preuve que Kocharian a
illegalement employe des militaires pour reprimer les protestations
qui ont fait dix morts et plus de 200 blesses.
Le gouvernement armenien rejette ces revendications. Dans une lettre
adressee en fevrier a un avocat du HAK, le gouvernement a dit que
l’ordre controverse n’a pas exige " l’utilisation des Forces armees. "
Les procureurs, en attendant, ont exige une peine de prison de deux
ans et demi contre Sargsian et de 18 mois avec sursie pour Ayvazian
au debut du procès.
Les deux accuses ont plaide coupables des accusations et ont demande
au juge de conduire le procès selon une procedure acceleree. Sargsian
a pretendu qu’il ne savait pas que la directive controversee a ete
classifiee et non soumise a la publication.
PYUNIK WINS ARMENIA’S CUP FOR A SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Tert.am
10:30 11.05.10
The final stage of the Armenian Cup saw local Armenian football team
Pyunik beating Banants by a 4:0 score on May 10 at the Yerevan-based
Hanrapetakan (Republican) Stadium.
The goals were scored by Davit Manoyan, Markos and Gevorg Ghazaryan
who scored a double one.
President of the Armenian Football Federation Ruben Hayrapetyan handed
medals to the Pyunik players, and Sargis Hovsepyan, the current
captain of Pyunik, had one more chance to keep Armenia’s cup above
his head and celebrate their victory.
This is the second time Pyunik has for a second consecutive time
become the winner of Armenian cup.
BAKO SAHAKYAN HAILS HAY DAT EFFORTS
PanARMENIAN.Net
May 10, 2010 – 17:35 AMT 12:35 GMT
On May 10, Arstakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received
a delegation of Hay Dat Committees and Offices headed by ARF
Dashnaktsutyun Bureau member Hakob Ter-Khachatryan.
Mr. Sahakyan hailed Hay Dat efforts aimed at the Armenian Genocide
recognition, protection of the Armenian people’s rights and
preservation of the Armenian identity in Diaspora. Besides, the
President said that there is need in increasing awareness about the
Karabakh conflict’s various aspects as well as boosting and expanding
cooperation with Artsakh, reported the Central Information Departmentof
the Office of the Artsakh Republic President.
YEREVAN AND NICOSIA PAY GREAT ATTENTION TO BOOSTING BILATERAL COOPERATION
PanARMENIAN.Net
May 7, 2010 – 20:06 AMT 15:06 GMT
On May 7, Armenia’s Ambassador to Cyprus Gagik Galachyan met with
President of the House of Representatives of Cyprus Marios Garoyian,
Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou and Defense Minister Costas
Papacostas, the RA MFA press service reported.
The parties stressed the high level of bilateral relations
and political dialogue between Yerevan and Nicosia, noting the
effectiveness of inter-parliamentary cooperation. Besides, the sides
emphasized the importance of boosting cooperation in economy, culture,
education, science, as well as military sphere, saying that there
are all possibilities and legal field for that.
GENOCIDE ARMENIEN : PRISE DE CONSCIENCE TURQUE
par Stephane
armenews
jeudi6 mai 2010
REVUE DE PRESSE
Un collectif d’associations turques a appele a un rassemblement,
samedi, pour rendre hommage a la memoire des victimes du genocide
de 1915.
Sur la rive asiatique d’Istanbul, les voyageurs qui descendent du train
a Haydarpacha risquent d’avoir un choc, ce samedi : a l’occasion du 95e
anniversaire des massacres d’Armeniens par l’Empire ottoman pendant
la Première Guerre mondiale, l’Association des droits de l’homme
reclamera devant la gare que l’Etat turc reconnaisse le genocide.
C’est de la que partit le premier convoi de deportes armeniens. Sur
la place de Taksim, le c~ur nevralgique de la megapole, les badauds
auront egalement droit a une lecon d’histoire qui ne figure pas dans
les manuels scolaires. Durde, un collectif d’associations turques,
a appele a un rassemblement pour rendre " hommage a la memoire des
victimes de 1915, silencieusement et vetu de noir ". " Environ 1,5
million d’Armeniens, 15% de la population de l’epoque, ont ete tues
ou deportes et ils n’ont meme pas de tombe, explique Cengiz Algan,
un des initiateurs du rassemblement. Notre demarche n’est pas une
revolution, mais une contribution pour que les Turcs se confrontent
enfin a leur histoire. "
C’est en tout cas une etape supplementaire dans le long travail de
reconnaissance du genocide engage par une partie de la societe civile
turque. Près d’un siècle après les massacres de centaines de milliers
d’Armeniens, c’est la première fois que des manifestations defient
sur la voie publique le " negationnisme " de l’Etat.
Restaurer les eglises
En 2005, le lancement des negociations d’adhesion a l’Union europeenne
avait fait souffler un vent de liberte en Turquie et les universitaires
turcs avaient brise le tabou du genocide en organisant une conference
sur ce non-dit de l’histoire. Deux ans plus tard, l’assassinat du
journaliste armenien Hrant Dink a reveille les consciences d’une
avant-garde democratique.
Le mois dernier, les votes d’une resolution sur le genocide armenien
par une commission de la Chambre des representants aux Etats-Unis et
par le Parlement de Suède ont declenche des crises diplomatiques avec
la Turquie. Pour Ankara, gardienne de la thèse officielle, le danger
vient desormais aussi de l’interieur.
Travaux d’historiens, documentaires, debats televises et ouvrages se
multiplient. Film après livre, un passe occulte rattrape le present
et, avec lui, la part armenienne cachee de l’identite de la Turquie.
Meme les municipalites d’Anatolie se mettent a restaurer les eglises
armeniennes, alors que depuis sa creation en 1923, la Republique
turque avait tente d’effacer toute trace de la presence armenienne,
au mieux en laissant s’ecrouler ce patrimoine, au pire en le rasant.
Transmission orale
Paru a l’automne dernier, Les Petits-Enfants fait temoigner des
descendants d’Armeniens qui ont echappe aux massacres et qui ont ete
en partie assimiles au fil des decennies. Ce recueil lève le voile sur
le sort cache de ces milliers d’enfants, des filles le plus souvent,
adoptes ou enleves par des voisins musulmans. À l’exception d’un
seul, tous les petits-enfants y racontent leur secret de famille
anonymement. " Ce livre est un defi envers ce dont on a peur, la peur
est centrale dans toutes les histoires racontees, declare Aysegul
Altinay, une des coauteurs. Mais en partageant leur vie avec les
lecteurs, ils disent basta ! "
Selon Cengiz Aktar (*), un des auteurs d’une campagne de pardon
pour la " Grande Catastrophe " -l’appellation designant le genocide
chez les Armeniens-, qui a recueilli plus de 30 000 signatures sur
Internet, la seule facon de contourner le negationnisme est desormais
de " mener des actions pour developper une politique de memoire,
conduire un travail pedagogique auprès de la population ". Afin de
faire emerger une conscience commune, un projet turco-armenien s’est
ainsi attache a collecter dans les familles des histoires relatives
au genocide. L’etude montre qu’une transmission orale a lieu en depit
du silence impose dans la sphère publique.
Dans les familles, des recits se murmurent de generation en
generation. " En prive, meme si les temoins ne sont plus en vie, ce
qui s’est passe est un secret de Polichinelle, explique Leyla Neyzi,
anthropologue turque qui a supervise le recueil des recits. Cela peut
s’exprimer de facon inconsciente, mais meme les anecdotes disent la
culpabilite. " Comme ce vieillard qui s’est mis a raconter, quand
il est devenu senile, qu’il avait jete des enfants armeniens dans
la rivière. Les fantômes hantent toujours les memoires. " Resultat,
ajoute cette enseignante a l’universite Sabanci d’Istanbul, les Turcs
sont totalement schizophreniques. " Pour eux, etre en paix passera
par l’acceptation de leur responsabilite dans l’extermination d’un
peuple qui vivait en Anatolie, sur la meme terre que la leur.
AZERBAIJAN FOCUS OF ATTENTION OF INFLUENTIAL JEWISH ORGANIZATION IN US
news.az
May 6 2010
Azerbaijan
Elin Suleymanov Representatives of Azerbaijani general consulate
participated in event of influential American Israeli Public Affairs
Committee-AIPAC in Los Angeles.
This year the event gathered together over 1,000 activists of the
Jewish community of the United States, as well as numerous officials,
including Congress members and representatives of executive powers.
The event participants also stressed the geopolitical role of
Azerbaijan and friendly relations of our country with Israel. Thus,
within the framework of the official program of the event, along with
members of the US Congress and Israeli Knesset, the speaking were only
two representatives of the diplomatic corps in Los-Angeles-general
consul of Israel Jaycob Dayan and general consul of Azerbaijan Elin
Suleymanov.
In his speech, the Azerbaijani diplomat stressed traditions of
tolerance and many years of history of the Jewish community in
Azerbaijan. As for the good relations between Azerbaijan and Israel,
the general consul called them a bright example of intercultural
dialogue and anti-thesis of the idea of the clash of civilizations.
Suleymanov reminded to the event participants that Muslims, Jews and
Christians have many common features, in particular, the belief in
God. He spoke of the policy of President Ilham Aliyev aimed at the
intensification of the dialogue of civilizations.
Speaking about Azerbaijan’s efforts to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict, the Azerbaijani representative voiced hope for the soonest
establishment of durable peace in the Middle East and peaceful
coexistence of the Jewish and Palestinian peoples. In conclusion,
Suleymanov stressed the importance of building US ties with its
key partners, including with Azerbaijan and Israel on a long-term
strategic basis.