Author: Jilavian Emma

CZECH MP WRITES TO US COUNTERPARTS OVER WORK CONDITIONS IN RFE/RL

AZG DAILY
16-02-2010

Mass media

Prague, Feb 12 (CTK) – Czech senator Jaromir Stetina has written
a letter to his U.S. counterparts in which he complaints about
discrimination against some foreign employees of the Prague-seated
and U.S-financed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and demands
a remedy of the situation.

In his letter, a copy of which CTK received, Stetina says the work
contracts do not sufficiently protect the station’s foreign employees.

Due to the RFE/RL management’s discriminatory labour policy,
incompatible with Prague’s international commitments, the Czech
Republic has been accused of violating fundamental rights at the
European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, Stetina writes.

The employees who have complained in Strasbourg about discrimination
include Croatian journalist Snjezana Pelivan, whom the RFE/RL sacked
without giving any reason five years ago.

The Czech Constitutional Court previously turned down Pelivan’s
complaint.

According to Pelivan, the RFE/RL employees who come from neither the
Czech Republic nor the U.S. are insufficiently protected against
unfounded instant dismissal, which means they are discriminated
against.

Pelivan says the station’s foreign staff are intentionally kept in
a legal vacuum without court protection either in the U.S. or in the
Czech Republic.

Another foreigner to complain is Armenian Anna Karapetian who, too,
was dismissed from the RFE/RL some time ago.

The RFE/RL is a radio station broadcasting news and information in
28 languages to countries where free press is banned or not enough
developed.

Stetina has recently been catapulted to the centre of media attention
in connection with his announcement that he helps a man from Chechnya
who was denied Czech asylum and had to leave the Czech Republic by
February 7.

According to Stetina, the Czech asylum policy fails to help people
from the Caucasus region who are threatened with persecution or even
death in Russia.

Stetina, 69, was Czech Lidove noviny daily’s correspondent in Moscow
in the 1990s. He also covered the then Russia war against Chechnya. In
December 1999 he and another eight journalists spent nine days in
the besieged Chechen capital Grozny.

Saribek Sukiasyan thinks his detention is part of the plan of
vengeance on him and his family

2010-02-13 16:41:00

ArmInfo. Saribek Sukiasyan, a well-known Armenian entrepreneur, member
of the Armeconombank Board, the younger brother of the oppositionist
and entrepreneur Khachatur Sukiasyan, thinks that his detention is
nothing but part of the plan of vengeance on him and his family.

Armenian mass media report that at 4 pm Saturday the police burst into
the office of SIL Concern belonging to the Sukiasyans, broke down the
doors and detained Saribek Sukiasyan. No lawyers were admitted to him.

To recall, according to the Feb 12 press-release of the Police,
Director of Audit LLC Gor Davtyan told the police that in October 2008
he sold 41% of shares of his company Byuregh to Saribek Sukiasyan’s
wife. In November 2009 the Cassation Court of Armenia declared this
deal invalid, afterwards a new shareholder appeared in the company and
expressed a will to buy the share belonging to him. To let Sukiasyan
know about it, Davtyan went to the office of SIL Group company where
Sukiasyan made Davtyan sign some documents on pain of death.

GEVORG MINASYAN TAKES SECOND PLACE IN FLANDERS CHESS TOURNAMENT

Tert.am
12:03 ~U 12.02.10

The second place winner in the Flanders chess championship, which
took place in the Belgian town of Mechelen, was eight-year-old Gevorg
Minasyan. In his age category, the young chess player won 5 victories,
tied in one game and lost in the 7th match. Thus, competing against
20 other participants, the Nuard Union representative became Flanders’
vice-champion.

Sources in Belgium say that recently, Gevorg won the championship
in the Belgian province of Antwerpen and is currently preparing to
participate in the Belgian Chess Championship in April.

HERITAGE PARTY APPEALS TO CITIZENS TO JOIN THEM IN FRONT OF PARLIAMENT GATES

Tert.am
17:18 ~U 12.02.10

When the Armenia-Turkey Protocols officially appear on Armenia’s
National Assembly agenda and thus become a topic for discussion in
parliament, Heritage Party will be there, in front of the parliament’s
gates, to voice its criticism and say its resounding "No" to the
Protocols, reads a statement released by the oppositional Heritage
Party today.

The party statement also calls on all RA citizens and political powers
to join them and not to allow the authorities to implement these
"unlawful" documents that are an example of "high treason."

"On that day, all the people [of Armenia] and all political powers
that serve the people’s interests will have to prove that they have
the resolute will to defend the self-determination, rights and dignity
of Armenians," reads the statement.

The Heritage Party’s statement comes days after Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan’s speech, delivered in London’s Chatham House, where
he said that he was going to send the Protocols to parliament in the
coming days.

ARMENIA AND TURKEY HAVE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO RECONCILE: RA PREMIER

news.am
Feb 12 2010
Armenia

RA Premier Tigran Sargsyan reckons that Armenia-Turkey relations’
normalization should be considered in three planes. Firstly, what
are authorities’ tasks and what responsibility they bear for the
process; secondly, how the world community perceives prospects for
Armenia-Turkey relations; and thirdly, what is the world public’s
response to the process. These issues were touched upon by the Premier
in the course of "Armenia-Turkey relations and marginal regionalism"
workshop.

According to Sargsyan, initiating Armenia-Turkey reconciliation
Armenian leadership clearly understands the responsibility and deems
that it is a new page in two countries’ relations. He quoted an excerpt
from RA President’s message: "The time has come to have both countries’
leaderships to exercise political will and ratify the Protocols."

Thereafter, referring to contradictions in the process, including
those in Diaspora, Sargsyan said: "It is natural, as we were through
so much pain throughout the history, that will be very difficult to
overcome. People suppose that this is not normalization, but a fallacy,
and that we are cheated to lose our vigilance and unprepared for facing
challenges. This is why we cannot wait everlastingly, there should be
a sound term to get an answer from our Turkish counterparts," he added.

RA Premier also underlined that Armenia and Turkey have an exceptional
opportunity to establish relations, as it is hardly often found when
all world powers hold unanimous stand on the same issue, as it is now.

"It will be unwise not take this opportunity," Sargsyan concluded.

SWISS APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS CONVICTION OF GENOCIDE DENIERS

2010/02/12 | 10:16

World

The Zurich Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld the verdict of a Swiss
district court that found three Swiss citizens of Turkish descent
guilty of denying the Armenian Genocide.

The defendants, Ali Mercan, Hasan Kemahli and Ethem Kayali had
denounced the Armenian Genocide as a pack of lies at a meeting in
2007 in the Swiss district of Winterthur. Mercan is the foreign
representative of the Turkey-based Workers Party, while Kemahli and
Kayali are members of a Turkish-based think tank.

In March 2007, Dogu Perincek, the leader of the Workers Party, was
similarly found guilty by a Swiss district court of conscious violation
of Swiss laws against genocide denial with a racist motivation and
was fined 12,000 Swiss francs (17,000 Turkish Liras).

PRESS RELEASE
Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)
1250 I (Eye) Street N.W., Suite 710
Washington, D.C. 20005, USA
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

February 12, 2010

Subject: Policy Forum Armenia Unveils the Agenda for Its 2nd Annual Forum

Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) is pleased to announce the opening of its 2nd
Annual Forum: "Armenia-Diaspora Relations" in Washington, DC on February
28-March 2, 2010.

Armenia-Diaspora relations have never been more strained in the 20 years
since independence. The Forum will provide an opportunity for policy
practitioners, academics, and the public to discuss perspectives on and
approaches to the present-day challenges facing the Armenian nation.

Day 1 of the Forum (February 28) will be held at the Cosmos Club,
Washington’s premier venue for social and policy events, and will feature
the presentation of PFA’s Report on `Armenia-Diaspora Relations: 20 Years
Since Independence.’ Day 2 of the Forum will be held at Georgetown
University. This part of the Forum is open to the public, and we invite you
to join us in Washington for a full day of deliberations on this important
issue. We are very pleased to inform you that Mr. Raffi Hovannisian,
Armenia’s First Foreign Minister, will deliver the keynote luncheon address
on Day 2 (March 1). The program for Day 3 (March 2) is limited to young
professionals and will include thematic meetings with various relevant
agencies and organizations in order to continue the discussion on
Armenia-Diaspora relations and offer young professionals opportunities to
network in Washington.

For detailed agenda and visitor information please visit our website:
<;

* *

Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) is an independent professional non-profit
association aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia’s economic
development and national security and through that helping to shape public
policy in Armenia. Its main objective is to offer alternative views and
professional analysis containing innovative and practical recommendations
for public policy design and implementation. Through its activities, PFA
aims to contribute to the creation of an informed public and more effective
and accountable government. PFA’s main asset is its worldwide network of
professionals and leaders in their respective fields, with dedication to
Armenia.

* *

For its 1st high-level Forum on the global economic
crisis< s/single-event-view/high-level-economic-forum-in-y erevan/>
, held in Yerevan on May 25, 2009, PFA brought together an unprecedented
line-up of academics and policymakers from Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine,
and UAE, including Armenia’s five former Prime Ministers, to discuss the
implications of the crisis for Armenia and help devise policy prescriptions
to mitigate them.

TURKISH AUTHORITIES TRY TO JUSTIFY THEIR LAME POLICY: REFERANS

Tert.am
15:01 11.02.10

In an article on Turkey’s recent domestic and foreign developments,
Turkish paper Referans reports that in both cases the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP) follows a lame policy.

According to Referans, AKP, should it fail to change the current
situation, will lose in the 2011 parliamentary elections.

Referring to recent developments in Armenia-Turkey relations,
Referans accuses Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu for his
recent statements about the process labeling them as "baseless."

Despite the fact that there was "absolutely" no precondition in
the Protocols, writes Referans, Turkey turned the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict into a "de facto" precondition and linked the settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to Armenia-Turkey rapprochement.

Further, the Turkish publication recalls that a new Genocide bill is
set to be discussed in US Congress on March 4, saying that, Turkey’s
lame policy, in part, in its relations with Armenia, also contributed
to it.

"And now Foreign Minister Davutoglu declares that he does not believe
in coincidences and wants us to believe his statements too," writes
Referans, pointing to Davutoglu’s statements and proving that the
Turkish foreign minister uses baseless arguments over the standstill
in the rapprochement.

Earlier this week, Davutoglu said he did not see any coincidence in
three consecutive events: the Armenian Constitutional Court ruling,
the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in the Russian
city of Sochi, and the new Genocide bill to be presented to the US
Congress for approval.

ICRC REPRESENTATIVES VISIT ARMENIAN-CAPTURED AZERBAIJANI CITIZENS

APA
Feb 11 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku. Kamala Guliyeva – APA. Representatives of the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Khankendi and Armenia visited the
soldier of Azerbaijani army Anar Khanbala Hajiyev, who is in captivity
in Armenia and resident of Azerbaijan’s Tovuz region Eldar Tagiyev
who was taken hostage by the Armenian militants in unknown conditions,
spokeswoman for ICRC Office in Azerbaijan Gulnaz Guliyeva told APA.

She said ICRC representatives held private meetings with both captured
persons, talked to them and observed their detention conditions and
received their letters to their families. The letters were already
delivered to their addresses.

Hajiyev’s mother Naila Mammadova told APA that she received the
letter on Wednesday. Her son asked them not to worry about him and
sent greetings to his relatives, said Mammadova.

Anar Khanbala Hajiyev, 20, drafted by Goranboy regional military
commissariat, was captured by the Armenian armed forces on May 10,
2009. He was captured near Azerbaijan’s region of Fuzuli.

Resident of Alibeyli village of Tovuz region Tagiyev Eldar Heydar,
47 was taken hostage by the Armenian militants on December 28, 2009
near the contact line in direction of Alibeyli village.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

news.am
Feb 11 2010
Armenia

At the RA Government’s sitting on February 11, RA Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan approved the 2010 tourist development program for Armenia.

The program is designed to shape a favorable and attractive image of
Armenia as a country of tourism, present Armenia to the international
tourist market and ensure the country’s international integration
through an effective marketing policy.

A total of 650,000 tourists are expected to visit Armenia this year
due to the program – an increase of 7-10 per cent. The program will
also enhance international awareness of Armenia.

The program also provides for Armenia’s participation in international
exhibitions, publication and dissemination of advertising material,
organization of festivities in Armenian regions and development of
international cooperation in tourist industry.