Author: Kalantarian Kevo

BAKU THREATENS “TO TAKE MEASURES” AGAINST ARMENIAN MEDIA FORUM GUESTS

15:53, 25.03.2015

The Azerbaijani authorities threaten to take “measures” against the
participants of the media forum “At the Foot of Ararat” that was held
in Armenia last week.

The reason for the threats was participants’ trip to Karabakh, APA
agency reported.

“Participants of media forum held in Armenia on March 18-23 have
visited Nagorno Karabakh illegally,” the agency

The Azerbaijani side particularly mentioned Elena Dumitru from
Romania’s Adevarul newspaper, Alexander Kolesnichenko from Russia’s
Argumenti i Fakty newspaper, Monika Khorsakova from Czech radio.

Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev said
“relevant measures will be taken in relation to the journalists who
illegally visited the occupied territories”. Their names will be
included in the so-called “black list” of the Azerbaijani authorities.

The reasons of the Azerbaijani official are absurd.

“Those who visited occupied territories should consider their own
safety. Along with the state of war, human trafficking, arms smuggling,
drug production and transit, terrorist training and other illegal
activities are carried out in those territories.”

However, it is clear that the Azerbaijani authorities do not care
about foreign journalists, their main goal is to try to keep Karabakh
isolated.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

A L’APPROCHE DU 24 AVRIL, L’AZERBAIDJAN INTENSIFIERA SES OPERATIONS DE PROVOCATION SELON KOMMANDOS

ARMEEE ARMENIENNE

Arkady Der-Tatevosian appele Kommandos, le heros de la guerre
de liberation du Haut Karabagh a lors d’une conference de presse
mardi 24 mars a Erevan, affirme que l’Azerbaïdjan intensifierait ses
provocations a la frontière armeno-azerie. Selon A. Der-Tatevosian,
le commandement militaire de l’armee armenienne sait qu’en cette annee
de commemoration du 100ème anniversaire du genocide des Armeniens
l’ennemi va redoubler ses operations de sabotages.

PARLIAMENT OF CYPRUS HAS DRAFTED A BILL CRIMINALIZING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL

21:10, 23 March, 2015

YEREVAN, 23 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The political parties of the Republic
of Cyprus have drafted a bill criminalizing non-recognition or denial
of the Armenian Genocide.

As “Armenpress” reports, citing the Turkish Hurriyet, the bill jointly
submitted by all the political parties represented in the Parliament
of Cyprus envisages penalties for those who fail to recognize genocide,
war crimes and the crimes against humanity.

It is mentioned that it is proposed to pass the bill on the occasion
of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide. The Republic of Cyprus has
recognized the Armenian Genocide. It is assumed that the Parliament
of Cyprus will include the bill in the agenda this week.

Currently, 22 countries and several international organizations have
recognized the Armenian Genocide.

However, as in the past, Turkey denies the mass killings of the
Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during WWI (nearly 2 million
Armenians were living in the Ottoman Empire prior to WWI, nearly 1.5
million Armenians were killed between 1915 and 1923, the remaining
500,000 Armenians became dispersed across the globe).

The Parliaments of Greece, Switzerland and Slovakia have passed bills
criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

HOW WILL PUTIN RESPOND TO SERZH SARGSYAN

March 24 2015

Serge Sargsyan’s statement regarding the sale of weapons to
Azerbaijan by Russia hours before leaving for Brussels to the
European People’s Party Summit was described as sensational. While,
the issue of selling weapons to Azerbaijan by Russia was raised by the
government authorities last year at different levels, and, basically,
Serzh Sargsyan’s statement is not new, this is already the fourth
statements of such kind by the government authorities of Armenia. So,
at the international media forum called “At the Foot of Mount Ararat”,
President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, in response to the question of
a journalist from Moscow regarding the selling of weapons by Russia
to Armenia’s EaEU membership and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicting
parties, noted, “Since the establishment of the Armed Forces of the
Republic od Armenia, we are grateful and thankful to our ally for
assistance. Of course, in these relations, we are concerned about
Russia’s selling weapons to Azerbaijan out of different reasons and
rationale, and the problem here is not the quality of armament. The
problem is that an Armenian fellow standing on our border or on the
line of contact realizes that they try to destroy him with Russian
weapons. This is the hardest thing, and this is what might have a
negative influence on our relations. For a long time, during 250
years, the Armenians and Russians have been living side by side,
had common enemies, foes, and have not fired at each other from
guns produced in their country. This is an issue, a problem, and
this problem must be resolved.” A few days ago, Armenia’s Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian, in his interview to Slovenian
daily, addressing the Karabakh settlement issue, said, “We would
prefer that Russia not to sell weapons to Azerbaijan. We’re not
asking our friendly countries, partner countries to do something for
Armenia against somebody else. What we are expecting concretely on
Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not to support one side against the other,
just to be in line with the position of the international community,
expressed by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. And Russia is
one of the three Co-Chairs.” First, it is not clear here why we do
not ask or suggest our friend, partner, moreover ally countries to do
something for Armenia something against somebody else, for example,
Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan conducts consistent work against Armenia at all
international structures and with many countries and often achieves
success. Recall assassin Safarov’s extradition, now Azerbaijan has
joined the extradition of Azerbaijanis Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz
Guliyev convicted imprisonment in Nagorno-Karabakh, and one gets the
impression that official Baku is working with the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs countries in this direction. Let’s go back, however, to
the Armenian-Russian relations. The TA government authorities cannot
revise their decision and raise the issue of termination of Armenia’s
membership to the EaEU. This is simple. Or, at least at this stage
it is not realistic to expect. The RA government authorities perhaps
yet have considered that they had made a right decision, moreover, it
is clear that it was a political decision rather than an imperative
dictated by economic convenience and expediency. If this structure
is established, yet only after then we can create bases to study the
possibilities of Armenia’s integration development under the Eurasian
framework. Armenia, however, can revise the situation in the co-
relationships with Russia by running a more sensitive policy for the
benefit of Armenia. This does not require constant public speeches
and remarks. On the contrary, Armenian government has a lot to do in
the diplomatic arena, which should not always be visible to the public.

The outcome of the work completed is preferable to be visible. Given
the fact that since last year Armenian government authorities are
publicly voicing the fact of selling weapons to Azerbaijan by Russia
and are expressing their concern, one can conclude that they do not
raise this issue to the Russian side behind the scenes and prefer to
be limited with only public messages. This can even be considered an
alarm by the RA government authorities, which hardly be welcomed in
Moscow. In his interview with Clarin newspaper in Buenos Aires, last
summer, Serzh Sargsyan for the first time publicly complained about
Russia’s selling arms to Azerbaijan. “It is a very painful subject
and our people are worried that our strategic ally sells weapons
to Azerbaijan.” While, in the last fall, referring to Russia’s arms
sales to Azerbaijan, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said,
“Supplying the enemy with ammunition is always at the core of our
attention, and we express our concerns in all instances.” The subject
of supplying Azerbaijan with ammunition has always been raised
in different instances and when working with the international
organizations, however, the level of Armenian-Russian “strategic”
relations suggests a more specific solution to this issue. Russia
is an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair country with the United States and
France, it implements a mission aimed at achieving peace through
Karabakh talks and reconciliation of the parties. But Russia does
exactly the opposite. Selling weapons to Azerbaijan, Russia pushes a
military solution, or at least its propaganda. Indeed, it is clear
to everyone that if Russia does not sell weapons to Azerbaijan,
Aliyev would purchase it from other countries to show his country
citizens how “patriotic” he is and where the money goes. But aren’t the
Armenian-Russian “strategic” relations worthy for Russia not to sell
weapons to Aliyev, like the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing United States
and France do not do it. Armenia joined the EaEU perhaps taking the
security guarantees given by Russia as a base and refused signing the
EU Association Agreement. Armenia’s and Nagorno-Karabakh’s security
has not been improved, but also our opponent country has become
more uncontrolled and cynical. Official Moscow has not responded
to Serzh Sargsyan’s already two, RA Defense Minister’s months ago,
as well as RA Foreign Minister’s quite transparent and unambiguous
statements of Russia’s selling weapons to Azerbaijan. As they say,
the ball is with the Russian side.

Emma GABRIELYAN

Read more at:

REVUE DE PRESSE N°1 – 24/03/15 – COLLECTIF VAN

Publié le : 24-03-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN [Vigilance
Arménienne contre le Négationnisme] vous propose une revue de
presse des informations parues dans la presse francophone sur les
thèmes concernant le négationnisme, le racisme, l’antisémitisme,
le génocide arménien, la Shoah, le génocide des Tutsi, les
crimes perpétrés au Darfour, la Turquie, l’Union européenne,
l’occupation de Chypre, etc… Nous vous suggérons également de
prendre le temps de lire ou relire les articles mis en ligne dans la
rubrique Info Collectif VAN et les traductions regroupées dans notre
rubrique Actions VAN. Par ailleurs, certains articles en anglais,
allemand, turc, etc, ne sont disponibles que dans la newsletter Word
que nous générons chaque jour. Pour la recevoir, abonnez-vous a la
Veille-Média : c’est gratuit ! Vous recevrez le document du lundi
au vendredi dans votre boîte email. Bonne lecture.

Turquie: Asaf Kocak, caricaturiste mort a Sivas (1993) Info Collectif
VAN – – “Dans l’incendie criminel de l’hôtel
Madımak a Sivas, le 2 juillet 1993, périrent 37 intellectuels,
journalistes, écrivains, poètes, caricaturistes, musiciens, des
proches (dont un enfant) venus dans cette ville pour le Festival Pir
Sultan Abdal, organisé en l’honneur du grand poète alévi du XVIe
siècle. Avec eux disparurent également des membres du personnel de
l’hôtel. Le choc a été violent pour la Turquie, un peu comparable
a ce qu’a été l’attentat contre Charlie-Hebdo en janvier 2015 en
France, car le drame de Sivas, tout aussi ciblé quoique probablement
non prémédité, a touché des personnalités connues, aimées
de la part de la Turquie qui se bat pour la liberté d’expression,
de l’art, de la littérature, pour la démocratie et la pluralité
religieuse. Ils furent victimes, comme en France, de l’obscurantisme,
du fanatisme, de l’intolérance.” Le Collectif VAN vous propose cet
article d’Etienne Copeaux, chercheur francais spécialiste de la
Turquie, publié sur son blog susam-sokak.fr le 21 mars 2015.

Soudan du Sud: Libération de près de 250 enfants soldats Info
Collectif VAN – – “Près de 250 enfants soldats,
dont quatre filles, ont été libérés ce weekend au Soudan du
Sud par un groupe armé appelé la Faction Cobra. Cette libération
devait être suivie par celle de 400 autres enfants au cours des jours
suivants, s’est félicité le Fonds des Nations Unies pour l’enfance
(UNICEF).” Le Collectif VAN vous présente cette information publiée
sur le site de l’ONU (Organisation des Nations unies) le 23 mars 2015.

Srebrenica : arrestation de huit personnes, vingt ans après les faits
En juillet 1995, près de 8 000 hommes et adolescents bosniaques ont
été massacrés après la prise de Srebrenica. Vingt ans après,
la police serbe a arrêté huit personnes accusées d’avoir été
impliquées personnellement dans ces exécutions sommaires.

Francois Hollande aux chrétiens d’Orient : “en France, vous
serez pleinement accueillis” “Vous êtes ici chez vous” a notamment
indiqué le premier flic de France, avant d’ajouter : “soyez ici les
bienvenus. Et je forme aussi le voeu que vous puissiez retourner dans
vos pays qui vous sont chers.

Nous agissons afin que cela soit possible”.

Ã~Ilections départementales 2015: le FN annonce une plainte contre SOS
Racisme après un tweet Le Front National a annoncé dimanche 22 mars
qu’il compte déposer plainte contre SOS Racisme, jugeant qu’un tweet
de l’association en ce premier tour des départementales constitue une
“manÃ…”uvre frauduleuse pour détourner des suffrages”, a déclaré
dimanche son trésorier et ancien avocat Wallerand de Saint-Just.

Karékine II appelle la Turquie a reconnaitre le génocide des
Arméniens et réparer les préjudices Si la Turquie reconnait le
génocide des Arméniens nous serons naturellement heureux, mais
une réparation des préjudices doit suivre cette reconnaissance
a déclaré le catholicos Karékine II le 19 mars lors du forum
international ” Au pied de l’Ararat ”. Déclaration effectuée a
Etchmiadzine lors d’une rencontre avec les journalistes arméniens
et étrangers.

Il fuyait devant les Khmers rouges, quand soudain…

Il y a quarante ans, les Khmers rouges instauraient un régime de
terreur au Cambodge et décimaient un cinquième de la population.

Promis a une mort certaine, Koeun Path a survécu miraculeusement.

Aujourd’hui pasteur a Mulhouse, il raconte son épopée dans un
livre poignant, ”Rescapé malgré lui”, (BLFéditions) a paraître
en avril.

Nouvelles attaques contre des chrétiens en Inde ” Je suis affligé et
attristé par les attaques de ces deux églises catholiques en Inde. Je
condamne avec force ces actions méchantes et dangereuses contre nos
fidèles. Prions pour l’Inde afin que le dialogue interreligieux,
la coexistence pacifique et le respect réciproque entre tous les
citoyens apportent progrès et développement de la communauté,
de la société et de notre nation ”.

Poutine et Sarkissian ont discuté des ventes d’armes a l’Azerbaïdjan
Serge Sarkissian a soulevé, avec Vladimir Poutine, ses inquiétudes
sur les ventes a grande échelle d’armes russes a l’Azerbaïdjan. “Au
cours de réunions avec nos partenaires russes, cette question a été
soulevée par le président de la République. Nous n’avons jamais
fait secret de nos préoccupations “, a déclaré Vahram Baghdassarian,
chef du groupe parlementaire du HHK.

L’éducation contre le racisme : “Qu’est-ce qu’on peut faire ? On
n’est que des citoyens !”

Ces jeunes enfants semblent très touchés par le racisme qu’ils
décèlent dans l’actualité. Nicolas Sarkozy, Marine Le Pen,
les repas a la cantine, les mamans voilées interdites de sorties
scolaires…, ils sont au courant de bon nombre de faits traités par
les médias. “Mais qu’est-ce qu’on peut faire, nous ? On n’est que
des citoyens”, s’interroge alors Sarah “Les hommes politiques, ils
ont de l’argent, ils font ce qu’ils veulent”, ajoute l’élève de 6e.

Un Arménien, Vartan Momdjian tué aujourd’hui dans les bombardements
a Alep Aujourd’hui 23 mars, de nombreuses bombes ont lancées par
l’opposition armée au régime syrien ont frappé divers quartiers
d’Alep notamment Djémilié, selon le journal arménien ” Kantsassar
” faisant plusieurs morts. Un Arménien fut tué. Il s’agit de
Vartan Momdjian.

ARMECONOMBANK RAISES ITS REGULATORY CAPITAL BY 1.2 BILLION DRAMS

23.03.2015 17:22

YEREVAN, March 23. / ARKA /. Armenian Armeconombank said today it has
channeled part of its long-term subordinated loan into replenishing
its regulatory capital by 1.2 billion drams. The main shareholder of
Armeconombank, Eduard Sukiasyan, replenished the regulatory capital
on March 20.

The bank said it will use the replenished capital for lending to
local companies and individual borrowers.

Armeconombank was registered in 1991. Its shareholders are EBRD -20%,
Saribek Sukiasyan – 22.6%, Khachatur Sukiasyan – 19.5% and Robert
Sukiasyan – 15.3%.

The bank’s assets at the end of 2014 stood at 91.9 billion drams, a
24% rise from the beginning of the year. Its liabilities surged by 28%
to 80.8 billion drams; the capital increased by 0.7% to 11.1 billion
drams and its net profits grew by 23.6% to 886 million drams. ($ 1 –
478.36 drams).

UN LABORATOIRE DE CREATIVITE S’OUVRE DANS L’ECOLE D’UN VILLAGE ARMENIEN

ARMENIE

VivaCell-MTS et le Fonds de l’enfance de l’Armenie (COAF) dans le
cadre d’une collaboration continue ont permis l’ouverture du sixième
Creativite Lab, a indique la compagnie.

Equipe d’une carte a puce, d’ordinateurs modernes, ainsi que des
meubles mobile speciaux, le creativite Lab recemment ouvert accueillera
les elèves de l’ecole de la communaute de Dsegh dans la province du
Lori en Armenie.

Le creativite Lab aidera les elèves, qui sont desireux d’apprendre et
les enseignants, qui souhaitent integrer l’utilisation des technologies
dans le processus de tutoriel pour le rendre plus interessant et
riche en contenu.

>, a declare le PDG de VivaCell-MTS Ralph
Yirikian.

mardi 24 mars 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

SINGLE CURRENCY DEBATE: EEU MONETARY UNION PLANS DISCUSSED IN ARMENIA

ECONOMY | 24.03.15 | 10:16

By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

The latest statements about the possibility of the Eurasian Economic
Union’s (EEU) transition to a single currency have sparked debate
among economists in Armenia.

Speaking at a March 20 summit of EEU leaders Russian President Vladimir
Putin suggested starting negotiations on the matter of forming a
monetary union. The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan said
they will continue discussions in Moscow in May when the leaders of
Armenia and Kyrgyzstan are expected to join them.

Meanwhile, Armenian and Russian experts discussed the issue during
a Yerevan-Moscow Skype conference organized by Media Center. All
of those participating in the discussion agreed that the idea of a
single currency is “in embryo” yet. Economists said time is needed
to create a single currency – at least a few years before the EEU
member states can reach comparable levels of economic development.

Bagrat Asatryan, who headed Armenia’s Central Bank in 1994-1998, said
that Putin’s statement in Astana had a purely political implication
and was not economically justified.

“It is clear that if a single economic space is formed, the result
should be a single currency. Without it the union cannot be effective.

In this case, I am afraid that the politicians talk about it
prematurely,” said Asatryan.

“If our future is in the EEU, if it is a successful project –
something that I highly doubt – I believe that the decisions should
be more calculated,” said the former Central Bank chairman, advising
that the European Union’s 40-year experience of introducing a single
currency should be examined.

Economists remind that the idea of introducing the Euro had been
discussed for several years and the Euro zone expanded gradually. New
members joined the monetary union only after several years of
membership and after meeting certain criteria. Earlier, it was said
that the EEU members had agreed to discuss the issue after 2025.

“As long as no unified fiscal policy bodies have been established,
there is no uniform policy, it is too early to speak about the single
currency,” said Asatryan.

Moscow-based economist Alexander Knobel also pointed out the
differences in the levels of economic development of EEU member
states. He said that both the philosophies of economic development
and per capita GDPs in these countries vary. The lively discussion of
the issue now shows that the decision to switch to a single currency
is a political one.

“Integration within the EEU is guided by political motives. A number
of processes within the Union are ahead of economic expediency, and
the more intense these processes are, the more significant resources
one of the countries will have to invest. One can assume that this
country will be Russia,” he said.

In Asatryan’s opinion, the more immediate task should be taking the
economies of the EEU member states out of the current crisis. “And
after that one can think about the future,” he concluded.

ARMENIAN CONDEMNS THE GENOCIDE OF ASSYRIANS IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

13:03, 24 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Armenian National Assembly unanimously adopted a statement on
Condemning the Genocide against Greeks and Assyrians in the Ottoman
Empire in 1915-1923.

The Armenian MPs may refer to another genocide in the near future.

After yesterday’s debates at the National Assembly, representatives
of the Yezidi community have applied to lawmakers with a request to
condemn the genocide against Yezidis in the same Ottoman Empire.

The Prosperous Armenia Party is going to initiate a discussion on
this, head of the PAP faction Naira Zohrabyan said. Speaker of the
National Assembly does not mind.

ICH BIN EIN ARMENIER

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

Selon l’hebdomadaire l’Express Edgar Hilsenrath sera present a Paris
a l’occasion du centenaire du genocide des Armeniens. “Il a 88 ans
mais il fera le deplacement a Paris a l’occasion de la commemoration
du centenaire du genocide armenien prevue le 24 avril. L’allemand
Edgar Hilsenrath, rescape de la Shoah, est en effet celebre par la
communaute armenienne pour avoir ecrit en 1989 le Conte de la dernière
pensee, hommage puissant aux victimes du genocide de 1915, aujourd’hui
reedite par la Tripode. Une grande exposition, une soiree a la Maison
de la poesie (Paris III ème)et diverses lectures ponctueront le sejour
parisien du 20 au 25 avril de l’auteur du Nazi et le Barbier”

mardi 24 mars 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com