Author: Hunanian Jack

NEWS BRIEFS
ARMENIA: US CONGRESS APPROVES $50 MILLION IN AID TO YEREVAN AND KARABAKH
12/11/09

The US House of Representatives and Senate on December 9 approved a
proposal to provide $41 million to Armenia and $8 million to the
ethnic Armenian-dominated breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, Armenian
news sources reported.

The Asbarez Post newspaper said that the final number is a reconciled
version of the House’s more generous offer of almost $60 million and
the Senate’s proposed $30 million package, which did not include aid
for Karabakh and was a 39-percent decrease from 2008. Aram Hamparian,
director of the Armenian National Committee of America, a Diaspora
group, said that the aid package to Armenia is down to "nearly half of
what was appropriated two years ago," Asbarez reported on December 11.

Posted December 11, 2009 © Eurasianet

ARMENIA: CAR OVERLOAD PARALYZES BORDER STATION’S WORK

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.12.2009 16:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A postal and baggage car was uncoupled at the Ayrum
border station on December 10, 2009 during the technical inspection of
the Tbilisi-Yerevan train. Car overload was directly threatening the
safety of trains, press-service of South Caucasus Railways reported.

Protesting passengers blocked the railway line, preventing the
departure of the train. After that, the railroad employees were
forced to invite representatives of local law-enforcement bodies and
prosecutors office. To investigate the fact commission was established
from managers and representatives of different technical services of
the railway company.

YEREVAN TO HOST ARMROBOTICS CHAMPIONSHIP

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.12.2009 20:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On Saturday, December 12, Yerevan will host
ArmRobotics open championship under the patronage of Armenian Premier
Tigran Sargsyan and general sponsorship of Hoornet company. Event
organizer is Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE).

Open championship is aimed at uniting young scholars, attracting
Diaspora’s scientific potential, developing team spirit among youth
and promoting introduction of new technologies in Armenia.

Championship program includes a contest consisting of several stages.

Participants will be required to introduce robots capable of
identifying object shapes. Those whose devices cope with the given
task rapidly and with minimal errors will be declared as winners.

On the day following the championship, it is planned to hold a
conference devoted to "Youth and Robot Building," UITE press service
reports.

PANEL DISCUSSION ON ARMENIA-TURKEY PROTOCOLS HELD AT CLARK UNIVERSITY

Armenian Weekly
December 8, 2009

A panel of experts gathered at Clark University on Fri., Dec. 4 to
discuss the protocols proposed as part of the effort to normalize
political relations between the Republics of Armenia and Turkey.

George Aghjayan of the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of
Central Massachusetts served as moderator. The speakers included
Professors Taner Akcam, Clark University; Asbed Kotchikian, Bentley
University; and Henry C. Theriault, Worcester State College. Clark’s
Kaloosdian-Mugar Professor of Armenian Genocide Studies was the main
sponsor, along with Bentley University’s Global Studies Department,
the Friends of Hrant Dink, the Armenian Review, and the Armenian
National Committee of Central Massachusetts. The Strassler Center
for Holocaust and Genocide Studies presented the panel and Director
Deborah Dwork opened by reminding the audience that the center’s
public service is directed toward building a more peaceful future
through reconciliation and rectification of historic injustices.

Kotchikian and Theriault George Aghjayan framed the protocol debate
by describing the issues that have drawn particular scrutiny from
the Armenian community. He focused on four points: The protocols do
not endorse the Armenian right to self determination; restitution for
Armenian losses is not addressed; the border opening is an issue for
Turkey alone as Armenia never closed their border; and the proposed
historical commission offers no guarantee that there will be an honest
accounting about the genocide.

Taner Akcam began the discussion with an endorsement of the protocols
despite their flaws. He said Armenians are right to feel suspicious
of Turkey because successive Turkish governments have been heir to a
policy of denial that kept the Turkish population in the dark about
the genocide. But in Akcam’s opinion, the signing of the protocols
signals an end to the era of denial. The old guard and the military
have been pushed out of the Turkish political sphere. The burden
is now on Ankara to determine whether to offer a tepid apology or
to embrace a full and honest acknowledgement of the genocide. New
approaches are now needed to help Turks face the past.

Akcam Henry Theriault introduced a moral imperative to address
historical injustices. Such an imperative exists for all perpetrator
nations, including the United States. In his opinion, the protocols
fail to state the simple fact of the genocide. More importantly,
they do not recognize the fundamental inequalities between the
nations. After decades of U.S. favoritism toward Turkey, it is
unfair to expect the parties to works things out alone with Armenia
negotiating from a position of weakness. Theriault argued that
decades of denial have allowed Turkey to consolidate their gains
from the genocide. Moreover, Turkish gains are mirrored by Armenian
losses. Reparations would help to equalize the relationship and end
the material benefits that Turkey continues to enjoy.

Asbed Kotchikian offered a geo-political view on the negotiations
between Turkey and Armenia. Speaking as a political scientist,
he described the shifting power balance in the Middle East. In
particular, he pointed to the growing role of Russia in the Middle
East. The opening of the Turkish-Armenian border would allow Russia to
penetrate Turkey. The border opening would accomplish two important
goals for the Russians: increased influence over the resolution of
ethnic conflicts in their satellite regions and the opportunity to
control more electric and energy resources.

A lively discussion following the presentation of their views allowed
the experts to deepen the explanation of their ideas. The complexity
of the protocol debate suggests that continued discussion will
remain lively.

ARMENIA COMMEMORATES 1988 EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.12.2009 11:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia marks the 21st anniversary of the Spitak
earthquake on December 7. President Serzh Sargsyan arrived in the
disaster area to commemorate the victims.

On December 7, 1988, at 11:41 a.m. local time a magnitude 6.9
earthquake shook northwestern Armenia and was followed four minutes
later by a magnitude 5.8 aftershock.

The earthquake leveled the cities of Spitak and Gyumri and left 25
000 people dead, 100 000 wounded and 500 000 homeless.

Armenian Army soldier awarded for bravery shown
05.12.2009 17:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan has awarded
on December 5 with `Vazgen Sargsyan" medal a soldier of the Armenian
army
demobilized 15 days ago conscript Hayk Hakobyan, who shortly before
demobilization during the alert took out of the minefield the dead
commander’s body.

Hayk Hakobyan expressed willingness to join the ranks of the Armenian
army as a contractor, press office of RA Ministry of Defense reported.

Interfax, Russia
Dec 3 2009

YEREVAN KEEN TO DEEPEN RELATIONS WITH WASHINGTON – PRESIDENT …

Armenia highly appreciates the U.S. efforts aimed at resolving
regional problems, Armenian President Serzh Sargsian
said."U.S.-Armenian relations are traditionally warm and friendly, and
we are keen to further deepen them," Sargsian said at a meeting with
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Celeste Wallander in
Yerevan on Thursday.

"Armenia highly appreciates the assistance the U.S. government has
provided to Armenia since the day we gained our independence. We also
very highly appreciative of U.S. efforts aimed at establishing
stability and peace in our region, as well as resolving regional
problems," Sargsian was quoted as saying by his press office for
Interfax.

Wallander said for her part, that during her visit to Armenia she
would like to better understand the country’s defense priorities. The
U.S. highly appreciates Armenia’s participation in various
peacekeeping missions, Wallander said, adding that she had visited the
Armenian Armed Force’s peacekeeping brigade earlier that day.

"The Armenian president emphasized the importance of Armenian
servicemen’s participation in international peacekeeping missions and
also said that Armenia can and must make its contribution to
international security," the presidential press office said.

Armenian servicemen will be sent to Afghanistan in February 2010,
commander of the Armenian AF peacekeeping brigade Artur Simonian said
earlier on Thursday.

SEVENTY PERCENT CHANCE OF WAR IN KARABAKH, RUSSIAN ANALYST

news.az
Dec 4 2009
Azerbaijan

Yevgeny Minchenko News.Az interviews Yevgeny Minchenko, director of
the Russia-based International Institute for Political Expertise.

Before meeting the Armenian president in Munich, Ilham Aliyev said that
if the negotiations fail, Azerbaijan will initiate war to liberate
the occupied lands. Do you think a military scenario to settle the
Karabakh conflict is realistic?

I think this scenario is likely, at least 70% likely.

Do you think the superpowers with their interests will allow Baku
to start war in Nagorno-Karabakh? Might the Russian military base in
Armenia get involved in the conflict, possibly under the regulation
of the Collective Security Treaty?

There are several points of risk for foreign states including the
security of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, the threat of ecological
disaster if the nuclear power station in Armenia is damaged and
lesser risks associated with the possible failure of the Mingachevir
hydroelectric power station. Some of the superpowers (in particular,
separate elite groups in the United States) may view a protracted
military conflict as a pressure factor on the wider Middle East,
on the one hand, and on Russia and the Russia-Old European countries
unit ,on the other. As for the involvement of the Russian military
base in Armenia in the conflict, I think this is more likely if
it is attacked. As for the question of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization and its possible involvement in the conflict,
I don’t know.

Analysts say that Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Moscow following the Munich
meeting is related to the Karabakh conflict. What interests does
Moscow pursue in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict?

Naturally, the Kremlin is interested in the settlement of the
conflict. The Kremlin is also interested in preserving good relations
both with Azerbaijan and Armenia. I think there is no quick fix to
achieve both aims.

Tensions over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are growing. What influence
will Russia have on the Karabakh conflict? Will Moscow be able to push
Yerevan to compromise, because even today most analysts still believe
that the key to the settlement of the conflict lies in the Kremlin?

I think it’s a great delusion to think that the key to the conflict
settlement lies in the Kremlin. Russia was unlucky in being so big
and involved in a great many of its neighbours’ conflicts and even in
remote countries by the very fact of its existence. Russia’s influence
on Armenia and Azerbaijan is quite limited, like its influence on
Iran or North Korea.

The United States and the West have pressured Turkey to normalize
relations with Armenia. If the Armenian-Turkish border is opened, the
US will try to use Ankara to pull Yerevan out of Moscow’s influence.

Russia will lose Yerevan like it lost Georgia. In turn, Azerbaijan is
building its partner relations both with Russia and the United States.

Don’t you think that Moscow would benefit from trying to settle the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to keep Azerbaijan and Yerevan in its sphere
of influence?

Russia plays a more complex game in the region. It is not limited to
Karabakh. See how relations between Russia and Turkey are changing
today. I think an attempt to settle the Karabakh conflict by way of
force would be perceived extremely negatively in Moscow.

SPITAK GRAVITY-FED SYSTEM CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT SIGNED

NOYAN TAPAN
DECEMBER 4, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The Millennium Challenge
Account-Armenia (MCA-Armenia) state nonprofit organization and Arpa
Sevan OJSC signed on December 3 a contract on construction of the
Spitak gravity-fed system. Its cost is 2,106,477 USD, the term is
16 months.

The Spitak gravity-fed system is one of the five gravity-fed systems,
whose construction has been included in "Infrastructure" activity
of MCA-Armenia’s Irrigated Agriculture project. Under this activity
financed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), also 6
main canals and 17 pumping stations will be rehabilitated, and the
irrigation network in more than 70 communities and the drainage system
of Ararat Valley will be improved.

STUDENTS OF CALCUTTA ARMENIAN PHILANTHROPIC ACADEMY DO WELL AT INDIAN UNIVERSITIES

Noyan Tapan
Dec 3, 2009

CALCUTTA, DECEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On 2nd December
Reverend Father Khoren Hovhannisyan, pastor of the Armenians in India
and manager of Armenian College & Philanthropic Academy organized a
special meeting with the five college students who have passed out
from Armenian College.

The meeting was a warm and cordial one. Father Khoren, their guardian
lent an ear to the various challenges that the wards are facing
in the new surrounding, and how they overcome those difficulties
to win accolades in their respective fields. "Be forever proud of
your Armenian roots. The Church is bearing your financial expenses
because you all are Armenians and the children of Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin. I hope you shall realize its value and be grateful for
their generosity. When you grow up try to give back a little of what
the Armenian Church and its people have given to you," advised Father
Hovhannisyan.

These students are currently pursuing their Majors from different well
reputed colleges in the country. Jessica Milne and Tatevik Tadevosyan
are studying Education and Political Science respectively from Loreto
College. Vahe Shirinyan is doing a MBA course in Finance and Marketing
from the Indian Institue of Planning & Management. Artur Marusevich
and Zareh Stephen have taken up International Hospitality Management
Course at IIHM (Indian Institute of Hotel Management), Calcutta.