Author: Hunanian Jack

The Messenger, Georgia
Jan 26 2007

Khadjimba says no ethnic tensions in run up to separatist elections
By Ekaterina Basilaia

The vice-president of breakaway Abkhazia, Raul Khadjimba, has
rebuffed speculation from Georgian expert Mamuka Areshidze that there
might be ethnic tensions between the Armenian and Abkhaz communities
in breakaway Abkhazia in the run up to the forthcoming de facto
parliamentary elections, Apsnypress reported on January 24.

"The confrontations between Abkhazians and Armenians, desirable and
provoked by outside forces, will not occur," Khadjimba argued in his
interview with Apsnyrpress.

"This has been specially concocted to deteriorate the situation in
Abkhazia on the eve of the upcoming elections," Khadjimba maintained.

In an interview posted by Georgian newspaper Svobodnaya Gruzia
Areshidze stated that "soon the Armenian community, which makes up
the greatest part of the population of Abkhazia, might become a
headache for the Abkhaz authorities, as far as they are trying to
strengthen their position in the region."

According to Areshidze, local Armenians who are twice as numerous as
ethnic Abkhaz, control substantial economic levers in the region,
thanks to the positive attitude of de facto Abkhaz president Sergei
Bagapsh towards them.

There is a long-drawn rivalry between Bagapsh and Kajimba, who
currently share power in the breakaway region.

According to speculations in Georgian media, the reason for Khadjimba
defeat in 2004 ‘presidential elections’ in the breakaway region was
his "obvious aversion" towards local Armenians. "Consequently,
Armenians, dissatisfied with Khadjimba, supported Sergei Bagapsh in
the presidential race," Georgian media reported.

Areshidze says another factor increasing tension between Armenians
and the Abkhaz population has to do with "the Armenian community’s
desire to increase its current informal quota in parliament from
three seats in the 35-member Parliament to five in the upcoming
elections."

The main political movements competing in the elections slated for
March 4 will be United Abkhazia, Aitara (Revival) and Amtsakhara
(Signal Light), which are supportive of current de facto president
Bagapsh. They will run against candidates from the "Forum for
National Unity," an opposition movement where followers of
vice-president Khadjimba are united. The Abkhaz Communist Party,
which is teaming up with the Russian Communist Party, will also take
part in parliamentary elections.

Currently Armenians make up the largest minority group in Abkhazia.

Shoushi’s new coat of arms approved

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.01.2007 15:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Henceforth the guardian angel of ‘Sourp Amenaprkich
Kazanchetsost’ Church will be the symbol of ancient Armenian town of
Shushi. The guardian angel will be impressed on the coat of arms of
Shoushi. This is the outcome of the contest, which was held by "Shoushi
Revival", Fund and the City Council, The PanARMENIAN.Net journalist
was told in "Shoushi Revival", Fund non-governmental organization.

The author of the new coat of arms, which was approved by the
Shoushi town elders, is Rouben Arutchyan, an artist from Yerevan
by descent from a famous Shoushi family. In the artist’s words, he
feels responsible both in front of Shoushi and his ancestors. Rouben
Arutchyan passed the premium of the contest to the "Shoushi revival"
Fund as his own contribution to the realization of programs to
reconstruct the town.

HAKOBYAN’S SECOND VICTORY

A1+
[12:12 pm] 26 January, 2007

In the third round of the Gibraltar chess tournament Armenian Grand
Master Vladimir Hakobyan beat Pierre Fogel. This is Hakobyan’s second
victory in the tournament. At present he is in the middle of the list
with 2 points.

In the fourth round Hakobyan will play with Din Ipolito who has 2
points too.

IN TURKOLOGIST’S OPINION, MURDER OF HRANT DINK RELATED TO ITENSIFIED
POLITICAL STRUGGLE IN TURKEY

YEREVAN, JANUARY 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Hrant Dink’s murder
is related to the intensified political struggle in Turkey. Ruben
Safrastian, Director of the RA NAS Institute of Oriental Studies,
Turkologist, expressed this opinion at the January 20 press conference.

According to him, quite a complex political situation has formed
in Turkey on the threshold of presidential elections. The current
prime minister Recep Erdogan, who heads the pro-Islamic "Justice and
Development Party" has a great opportunity to win these elections. He
may replace the current president Ahmad Necdet Sezer, who is the last
Kemalist in the highest echelons of the Turkish leadership. Hrant
Dink’s assassination was committed at the time when there are open
talks about a military coup in Turkey. Safrastian noted that it can
be assumed that this murder was specially prepared for this political
moment in order to strain the home political situation even more, at
the same time increasing the pressure on Turkey from European circles.

R. Safrastian noted that a "deep state" or a state within the state
exists in Turkey. This is a group of high-ranking state officials whose
name are unknown but they make important state decisions and have
the opportunities for their implementation. According to some press
reports on the day of the murder, although those who committed it are
probably representatives of the Grey Wolves nationalist organization,
the decision was taken by this deep state which does everything
possible to maintain the Kemalist state in the country.
–Boundary_(ID_5bYfCS64OKaV72yZ8pIOmg)
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Content-Description:

From: [email protected]
Subject: IN TURKOLOGIST’S OPINION, MURDER OF HRANT DINK RELATED TO ITENSIFIED
POLITICAL S
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IN TURKOLOGIST’S OPINION, MURDER OF HRANT DINK RELATED TO ITENSIFIED
POLITICAL STRUGGLE IN TURKEY

YEREVAN, JANUARY 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Hrant Dink’s murder is
related to the intensified political struggle in Turkey. Ruben Safrastian,
Director of the RA NAS Institute of Oriental Studies, Turkologist, expressed
this opinion at the January 20 press conference.

According to him, quite a complex political situation has formed in Turkey
on the threshold of presidential elections. The current prime minister Recep
Erdogan, who heads the pro-Islamic "Justice and Development Party" has a great
opportunity to win these elections. He may replace the current president
Ahmad Necdet Sezer, who is the last Kemalist in the highest echelons of the
Turkish leadership. Hrant Dink’s assassination was committed at the time when
there are open talks about a military coup in Turkey. Safrastian noted that it
can be assumed that this murder was specially prepared for this political
moment in order to strain the home political situation even more, at the same
time increasing the pressure on Turkey from European circles.

R. Safrastian noted that a "deep state" or a state within the state exists
in Turkey. This is a group of high-ranking state officials whose name are
unknown but they make important state decisions and have the opportunities for
their implementation. According to some press reports on the day of the murder,
although those who committed it are probably representatives of the Grey
Wolves nationalist organization, the decision was taken by this deep state which
does everything possible to maintain the Kemalist state in the country.

–Boundary_(ID_5bYfCS64OKaV72yZ8pIOmg)–

Ceremony Held For Dink At Virgin Mary Church

Anatolian Times, Turkey
Jan 23 2007

ISTANBUL – A ceremony was held at Virgin Mary Church in Istanbul for
Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos,
on Tuesday.

Patriarch of Turkish Armenians Mesrob II conducted the ceremony in
Virgin Mary Church at Kumkapi district of Istanbul.

Turkish State Minister & Deputy Premier Mehmet Ali Sahin and Turkish
Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu represented Turkish government in
the ceremony.

Dink was shot in front of his office building in Sisli district of
Istanbul on Friday, and died instantly at the scene. Ogun Samast,
the murderer of Dink, was arrested in northern province of Samsun
on Saturday.

ARMENIAN SOLIDER KILLED BY AZERI SNIPER

Yerevan, January 22. ArmInfo. An Armenian soldier Armen Malkhasyan, 25,
was killed by an Azeri sniper near Berda military unit today 10:40 AM,
reports spokesman of the Armenian DM Seyran Shahsuvaryan.

Investigation is underway.

Turkish Press
Jan 20 2007

Killing Of Hrant Dink – Police Investigates At Crime Scene
Published: 1/20/2007

ISTANBUL – Police cordoned-off the crime scene where Turkish
journalist of Armenian descent Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of
bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, was shot dead today.
Dink’s body was covered with a white sheet in front of the weekly’s
entrance.

Four empty shell casings were found at the crime scene.

Meanwhile, Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin
arrived at the scene.

Employees at the Agos weekly were seen crying at the windows of the
building looking at Dink’s body down.

AZG Armenian Daily #010, 20/01/2007

SCHIFF CONDEMNS THE MURDER OF JOURNALIST, HRANT DINK, IN TURKEY AND
MOURNS HIS LOSS

Schiff drafting letter to Turkish Prime Minister calling for a
complete investigation

Washington, D.C. – Representative Adam Schiff today mourned the loss
of one of Turkey’s most prominent Armenian journalists, who was shot
to death outside his newspaper’s office in Istanbul. Hrant Dink was a
vocal critic of the Turkish government and a leading voice in calling
for Armenian Genocide recognition. In 2003, on a trip to Turkey,
Rep. Schiff met with Mr. Dink to discuss his efforts on Genocide
recognition and press freedom issues.

"From the moment I met Mr. Dink, I could tell that he was an
incredibly courageous man who cared deeply about history and freedom
of the press," Schiff said. "His death is a great loss for all those
who cherish free speech, and my thoughts and prayers are with his
family at this very difficult time."

Rep. Schiff is drafting a letter to the Turkish Prime Minister this
morning calling on him to investigate Mr. Dink’s murder and to ensure
that this crime is solved and that those responsible are brought to
justice.

"The silencing of such a prominent and outspoken voice is not only a
personal tragedy; it is also a tragedy for those who believe in a free
and unfettered press, and for those who are committed to a thoughtful
examination of the past," Schiff wrote in the letter. "Hrant Dink had
the courage to confront the facts of the Armenian Genocide, and that
courage may have cost him his life."

Recently, Mr. Dink was featured in a documentary film "Screamers,"
which raises awareness of the Armenian Genocide and calls for its
recognition. Schiff also appeared in the film. In October 2005,
Mr. Dink was found guilty for the crime of "insulting Turkishness" and
was given a six-month suspended sentence after writing about the
Armenian Genocide. In 2006, Mr. Dink was awarded the Norwegian
Bjornson prize by the Bjornson Academy, which was established to
protect freedom of expression.

Rep. Schiff, a member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues,
represents the largest constituency of Armenians outside of
Armenia. In 2005, Rep. Schiff authored legislation that passed the
House International Relations Committee that recognized the Armenian
Genocide. However, the bill did not receive a vote on the House
Floor, and Rep. Schiff plans to reintroduce similar legislation this
year.

Rep. Schiff also co-chairs the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the
Press which aims to support freedom of the press around the world and
draw attention to and condemn media censorship and the persecution of
journalists.

Rep. Schiff was recently appointed to serve on the House
Appropriations Committee in the 110th Congress and is a member of its
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee and the
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. He
also serves on the House Judiciary Committee. He represents
California’s 29th Congressional District, which includes the
communities of Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, East Pasadena, East San
Gabriel, Glendale, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South
Pasadena and Temple City.

Sean Oblack, Press Secretary, Congressman Adam Schiff (CA-29),
202-226-8348 direct, 202-225-3278 cell

ASSYRIAN GENOCIDE MONUMENT PLANNED FOR ARMENIAN CAPITAL

Assyrian International News Agency, CA
Jan 18 2007

The Atour Assyria Association in Armenia has been engaged in talks with
the Armenian government to request permission to raise a monument for
the victims of the Turkish genocide of Assyrians in World War One —
called Seyfo by Assyrians. Seventy five percent of Assyrians (750,000)
were killed between 1915 and 1919 by Turks and Kurds.

The planned monument will be placed in the Armenian capital Yerevan,
beside the monument for the victims of the Armenian genocide from
the same time. The monument will be about 12 square meters long,
3 meters high and 1.5 meters wide. The Atour Assyria Association is
now soliciting artists and architects for a design for the monument.

Contributions should be sent to [email protected].

INTERNET ACCESS FOR SOUTH-CAUCASUS COUNTRIES DEPENDS ON UTCG DECISION ON PRICES FOR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Jan 17 2007

YEREVAN, January 16. /ARKA/. The Internet access for the South-Caucasus
countries and particularly Armenia, depends on the decision that the
United Telecommunication Company of Georgia (UTCG) will make on the
prices for international communications.

The UTCG and the "Fopnet" Georgian company are currently negotiating
over mutual recalculation of prices for the internet cable servicing,
press-secretary of "ArmenTel" company Hasmik Chutilian reported.

UTCG intends to increase the price for cable servicing; the cable is
owned by the "Fopnet", Chutilian said.

According to her, the "ArmenTel" company constantly communicates with
UTCG and keeps an eye on the negotiations.

The outcome of the discussions and the adopted decision will determine
whether Armenia, Azerbaijan and other countries of the region will
get Internet from Russia through Georgia, Chutilian said.

She pointed out that the Internet supply currently is not under the
direct threat of interruption.

The Georgian online media continues spreading the information on the
UTCG threats to block the Internet access for Armenian and Azerbaijani
users and stop the "Fobnet"-owned cable servicing.

The decision was made due to the indebtedness of "Fopnet" to the UTCG
amounting about $1.7mln.

The 130-kilometer optical fiber cable is drawn along the Black Sea
bottom from the Russian Novorossiysk city to the Georgian Poti port
and connects Russia with Armenia and Azerbaijan.

UTCG is a major telephone company in Georgia, having about 350,000
subscribers.