Author: Kalantarian Kevo

DFA CHIEF, ARMENIAN ENVOY PUSH EFFORTS TO ENHANCE TIES OF TWO COUNTRIES

Inter Aksyon, Philippines
March 19 2015

By: InterAksyon.com

MANILA – Armenia may be far from the Philippines, but there’s a lot of
ground for boosting relations between the two countries’ governments
and their people, their top diplomats say.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario received met with
Non-Resident Ambassador of Armenia to the Philippines Raisa Vardanyan
Wednesday afternoon at the OSEC Conference Room at the Department of
Foreign Affairs in Manila. They discussed plans to further earlier
agreements to broaden ties, mainly through the holding of the first
political consultations between their foreign ministries this year
at a mutually acceptable date.

Del Rosario recalled his meeting with Ambassador Vardanyan last June
wherein they committed to promote Philippines-Armenia relations in the
areas of trade, investments, education, science, and people-to-people
ties.

For her part, Vardanyan conveyed her government’s intent to establish
an intergovernmental commission on economic, scientific, and technical
cooperation to deepen bilateral ties.

She also reiterated the invitation of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian for Del Rosario to visit Armenia.

Meanwhle, Del Rosario and Vardanyan likewise took the occasion to
exchange views on regional developments.

Vardanyan is based in Hanoi, Viet Nam. Her previous visit to the
Philippines was in June 2014 when she presented her credentials to
President Benigno S. Aquino III.

THREE KARABAKH SOLDIERS KILLED IN FRONTLINE CLASH WITH AZERBAIJAN

NaharNet, Lebanon
March 19 2015

by Naharnet Newsdesk

Azerbaijani troops on Thursday killed three ethnic-Armenian soldiers
from the army of breakaway Nagorny Karabakh, the rebel authorities said
as tensions between Baku and Yerevan escalate over the disputed region.

“An Azerbaijani commando unit on Thursday morning attacked Karabakh
army positions,” Nagorny Karabakh’s defense ministry said in a
statement.

“Three Karabakh army soldiers … were killed in action.”

The separatists added that the Karabakh soldiers finally drove out
the Azerbaijani forces after a battle lasting two hours.

Yerevan and Baku have been locked in a dispute since Yerevan-backed
ethnic Armenian separatists seized control of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh
area in a bloody war in the early 1990s that left some 30,000 dead.

Despite years of negotiations, the two sides have still not signed a
final peace deal, while Armenian-populated Karabakh is internationally
recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Karabakh’s ethnic-Azeri community — around a quarter of the population
before the war — was entirely driven out.

Threatening a shaky 1994 truce, clashes between Azerbaijani and
Armenian forces intensified again in January following an unprecedented
spiral of violence last year.

At least 21 people from both sides have been reported killed this
year in sporadic flare-ups on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and
along the Karabakh frontline.

Baku, whose military spending exceeds Armenia’s entire state budget,
has threatened to take back the territories by force if negotiations
fail to yield results.

Armenia, backed militarily by Russia, says it could crush any
offensive.

PUTIN REFUSED SERZH SARGSYAN

Hakob Badalyan, Political Commentator
Comments – 19 March 2015, 16:13

Serzh Sargsyan’s statement on sale of Russian weapons to Azerbaijan in
answer to the question of the Russian journalist at the international
media forum organized in Yerevan on March 18 sounds more interesting
in the general context of this statement.

It was made at a stage of active discussions of the EU-Armenia
relations, along with the Euronest PA held in Yerevan, on the eve of
the EPP Assembly in Brussels where the EU summit will be held with
an agenda including the new sanctions against Russia.

There are several other circumstances, namely the Sargsyan-Putin
telephone talk, the Erdogan-Putin telephone talk on the Armenian
genocide, as well as the possibility of increase of the price of gas
supplied to Armenia.

The internal price of gas in Russia will increase by 7.5%. According to
the 2 December 2013 gas deal, the price of gas in Armenia is contingent
upon the internal price in Russia. If the price of gas in Russia is
increased, the price will go up in Armenia too. Recently the head of
the Pubic Services Regulatory Commission Robert Nazaryan has stated
that they are currently negotiating with the Russian side to keep
the Russian gas price low. Nazaryan did not specify who exactly is
negotiating with the Russian side, the Armenian government or Gazprom
Armenia which is fully owned by Gazprom.

Apparently, the Armenian government is because the increase of the gas
price is a serious challenge to the government, not Gazprom Armenia.

Apparently, this question was on Hovik Abrahamyan’s agenda who,
according to the press, visited Moscow on March 5. Apparently, however,
his visit was useless because after his visit no definite agreement
was mentioned.

Afterwards, Serzh Sargsyan decided to attend to this issue, which he
has most probably discussed with Putin by telephone.

Apparently, his efforts were also futile, and Putin did not change
his mind on increase of gas price otherwise a few days after the
talk Serzh Sargsyan would not have been so tough on the supply of
Russian weapons to Azerbaijan, when he said that the Armenian soldiers
standing at the border are killed with Russian guns. For the first
time, Serzh Sargsyan announced that this is a problem that must be
resolved. Earlier he only spoke about the “people’s concerns”.

Will Armenia put forth to Russia specific solutions, such as a demand
to stop supply of arms to Azerbaijan otherwise reserving the right
for some steps? Or is Serzh Sargsyan’s statement a mere reaction to
Putin’s stiff position on the increase of gas price.

Or yet, Serzh Sargsyan has learned something unpleasant about the
subject of the Erdogan-Putin telephone conversation, to which he
reacts with a statement on Russian weapons.

Is Sargsyan’s step a policy step or hopelessness or yet a tradeoff
with Russia: the latter agrees to bring the price down, and Armenia
keeps silence on the Russian weapons?

In these questions the key thing is what Armenia can do, what it is
ready to do if Russia refuses the tradeoff, as well as any demand
of Armenia relating to supply of arms, and continues to supply
Azerbaijan. This question remains open. Although, it is not ruled out
that Sargsyan will try to fill in this gap today in Brussels where
he has gone to attend the EPP summit. The EU leaders have gathered
in Brussels for the EU summit.

DES ELUS DU CONGRES APPELLENT OBAMA A RECONNAITRE LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

ETATS-UNIS

Washington, 18 mars 2015 (AFP) – A l’approche des commemorations du
centenaire du genocide armenien, plus de 40 parlementaires americains
ont depose mercredi une resolution appelant Barack Obama a reconnaître
le genocide, un terme qu’il n’a jamais employe comme president.

Le texte, depose a la Chambre des representants par des democrates et
des republicains, appelle Barack Obama a aider a l’amelioration des
relations entre l’Armenie et la Turquie, sur la base “d’une pleine
reconnaissance des faits et consequences continues du genocide
armenien”.

Le president americain, lorsqu’il faisait campagne pour la Maison
Blanche en 2008, s’etait engage a reconnaître le genocide, mais en
tant que president il n’a jamais prononce le mot, notamment dans
les communiques diffuses chaque annee autour du 24 avril. En 2014,
il avait evoque “l’une des pire atrocites du XXe siècle” et appele
a une “reconnaissance pleine, franche et juste des faits”.

Le Congrès a reconnu le genocide avec l’adoption de resolutions par
la Chambre en 1975 et 1984. En 1981, le president Ronald Reagan avait
dans une proclamation egalement cite le genocide des Armeniens. La
Turquie a toujours refuse d’admettre toute elimination planifiee,
evoquant la mort d’environ 500.000 Armeniens (contre 1,5 million selon
l’Armenie), qui s’etaient ranges du côte de son ennemie la Russie,
lors de combats ou a cause de famines.

Vingt-et-un pays reconnaissent le genocide, selon l’Institut national
armenien, qui inclut les Etats-Unis dans sa liste. “Lors de cet
anniversaire important, et tant qu’il reste des survivants parmi nous,
le Congrès et le president ont l’occasion et l’obligation d’envoyer un
message fort : nous n’oublierons jamais les morts, et nous appellerons
ce crime contre l’humanite ce qu’il est, un genocide”, a declare le
representant democrate Adam Schiff, l’un des signataires, qui avait
deja depose un texte similaire en 2007.

A ce stade, le president de la Chambre, le republicain John Boehner,
n’a pas indique si le texte serait soumis a un vote.

jeudi 19 mars 2015, Ara (c)armenews.com

RUSSIAN-AZERBAIJANI ARMS TRADE NOT SOMETHING NEW – ARMENIAN ANALYST

14:58 * 19.03.15

Political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan does not view as a new
emphasis by the Armenian side Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s
statementthat Russian arms sales to the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict is a problem that needs resolving

In an interview with Tert.am he expressed hope that official Moscow
will draw relevant conclusions from the message.

“I cannot say it is something new, though the fact that the president
publicly spoke of that for the first time is really new. But I would
like to note that Armenia’s foreign minister spoke of that a few
days ago. In an interview with a foreign newspaper he said that it
is desirable for Yerevan that Russia not sell arms to Azerbaijan,”
Mr Melik-Shahanazaryan said.

According to him, the issues has for a long period been on the agenda
of Armenian-Russian relations.

“The Russian arms sales to Azerbaijan is obviously a problem. No
doubts this problem has for a long period been discussed, and the
president just publicly spoke of it.”

Asked about Russia’s possible reaction to the statement, the analyst
said he doesn’t think that the problem has been ultimately resolved.

“Because, after all, the weapons’ supply arrangement for Azerbaijan
has long been dominating the agenda, and there haven’t been any
recent deals between Russia and Azerbaijan over the supply of such
a quantity of weapons, although Azerbaijan negotiates all the time
and has recently procured a new batch. It is difficult to say for
now how Russia will behave. Anyway, Armenia, as an ally country,
has expressed its position which was a clear-cut demand addressed to
Russia to demand the halt of the weapons’ supply. I think it is in
the political interests of Russia to attend to this calls by Armenian
leaders, and I am hopeful the official Moscow will issue corresponding
conclusions,” he added.

The expert further referred to President Serzh Sargsyan’s statement
confirming the high-level mutual understanding between Armenia
and Russia.

“That’s also evidenced by the fact that Russian President Vladimir
Putin will be in Yerevan on April 24 to join the Armenian nation’s
Genocide commemoration ceremonies. But it’s too early to say that
all the problems have been resolved. Anyway Putin’s visit to Yerevan
is a good occasion as our president is to later attend the events
celebrating the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. They will have
quite a lot of time to discuss and clarify issues, so for the moment,
we only voiced our position in the negotiations, addressing the subject
matter on the agenda. I believe Russia will have time to think and
re-evaluate its policies, and there is a great hope that the problem
will find a solution when Putin is on a visit to Armenia,” he added.

VTB ARMENIE ROUVRE UNE SUCCURSALE RENOVEE A AMASIA

ARMENIE

La banque VTB Armenie a rouvert une succursale renovee dans le village
d’Amasia dans la province nord-ouest du Shirak.

La banque russe a annonce qu’un ensemble de mesures globales ont
rationalise les services a la clientèle, ameliore les services
techniques ainsi que faire correspondre l’interieur du bâtiment avec
la marque et le style de l’entreprise du Groupe VTB.

Se exprimant lors de la ceremonie d’ouverture le PDG VTB Armenie Yuri
Gusev a dit que la renovation de la succursale d’Amasia complète un
projet majeur de la banque visant a renover et reformater ses branches
a travers le pays.

>
a-t-il dit.

jeudi 19 mars 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

EURASIANET.ORG: AZERBAIJANI POLITICAL EXPATRIATES CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY OF THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS

13:59 19/03/2015 >> SOCIETY

The space for freedom of expression in Azerbaijan is now roughly the
same size as a jail cell. Azerbaijani rights activists and journalists
are accordingly fleeing the country in growing numbers. Azerbaijani
applications for asylum in the European Union increased by 16 percent
between 2012 and 2013 to 2,360, according to the London-based Foreign
Policy Centre, an independent think-tank, Nargiz Rashid writes in his
article “Azerbaijanis Strive to Build Civil Society Away from Home,”
published on the website Eurasianet.org.

According to the author, the authorities in Azerbaijan have carried
out a far-reaching crackdown on all forms of dissent in recent years.

The rapid deterioration began amid the Eurovision song contest, which
Baku hosted in 2012. The crackdown intensified in the aftermath of
the Euromaidan Revolution in Ukraine in early 2014.

The author writes that those who disagree with the government’s course,
and who are not already behind bars, increasingly feel compelled
to leave the country. The Azerbaijan Migration Center, a Baku-based
organization that works on migrant issues, estimates that the pace
of dissident flight has accelerated over the past year.

Unemployment and low salaries associated with criticism of the
government have helped fuel the trend, representatives of the
center say.

“After the 2012 elections, we witnessed severe treatment of civil
society by the government. Not only opposition members, but also
civil society members, activists, journalists became a target,” said
political analyst Arastun Orujlu, director of the Baku-based East
-West Research Center stressing that the citizens are intimidated
and imprisoned in Azerbaijan; many people had to flee to Europe.

The author reminds that Arzu Geybullayeva, an English-language
blogger critical of the government, decided not to return to
Azerbaijan last April, after receiving death threats and branded
as a “traitor” on social media for her work for the Istanbul-based,
Turkish-Armenian-language weekly Agos.

As the article has it, Berlin and Prague have particularly become
favored destinations for Azerbaijani asylum seekers. Georgia,
Azerbaijan’s northern neighbor, often serves as a gateway for those
seeking asylum in EU states.

“Georgia is also seen as more secure than Turkey, Azerbaijan’s ethnic
and cultural cousin; Ankara and Baku maintain strong political ties,”
the author writes.

According to the article, 31-year-old blogger Habib Muntazir, who left
Azerbaijan as a teenager, said that Azerbaijani dissidents often live
their own life rather than fulfilling their public duties, because they
want to be able to come back home to see relatives. He also told that
he now works as a social-media manager for the Berlin-based Meydan TV,
a media outlet critical of the Aliyev administration.

Europe-based dissidents now rely heavily on social media to spread
their messages. Blogger Muntazir believes that the virtual civil
society that dissidents are creating is “more effective than the
real one.”

The author highlights that many Azerbaijani expatriates declined to
be interviewed out of concern for the safety of family members still
in Azerbaijan.

“There is ample reason for those living abroad to worry about loved
ones back home,” the author notes, giving the example of Tural Sadiqli,
an Azerbaijani resident of Germany. After he joined a protest in
Berlin this January against visiting President Aliyev, his brother,
Erkin, was arrested for alleged illegal possession of narcotics. The
Sadiqli family told reporters they believe the arrest was linked to
Tural Sadiqli’s activities in Berlin.

However, the author claims that some expats remain undaunted by the
risks. In Prague, economist Zohrab Ismayil, the head of the now-closed
Public Association for Assistance to a Free Economy, an independent
NGO targeting state-budget transparency and property rights, says that
he still advocates for the rights of Azerbaijani political prisoners
and publishes analyses of the country’s economy. Ordukhan Teymurkhan,
now a Dutch citizen, became a civil activist after he left Azerbaijan,
and regularly participates in Europe-based gatherings of dissidents
and demonstrations against the authorities of Azerbaijan; however,
he has no expectation that any such gatherings abroad will have an
“instant outcome” on developments inside Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani leaders are not giving an inch. Top officials
vigorously deny that any Azerbaijani is being persecuted for his or
her work or political beliefs. Not only that, but they go so far as
to claim that Azerbaijan’s rights record can compare favorably to
Western states, the author writes.

SORTIE DU LIVRE > DE VINCENT DUCLERT

LIVRES-GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS

Sorti debut mars aux editions Fayard Histoire, le livre de Vincent
Duclert > (424 pages, 22
EURO) est un temoignage de plus de la tragedie des Armeniens victimes
du genocide au debut du XXe siècle. En cette annee de commemoration
du centenaire du genocide, alors meme que son principal auteur, la
Turquie continue de nier, ce temoignage de Vincent Duclert est un de
plus dans la desormais longue liste des documents et livres sur le
genocide des Armeniens.

Ci-dessous le resume de l’editeur :

>

Krikor Amirzayan

jeudi 19 mars 2015, Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

“100 LIVES” TELLS THE STORIES OF RESCUERS

03.18.2015 11:46 NEWS

Russian-Armenian investment banker Ruben Vardanian, a leading figure
of the Armenian Diaspora, is preparing to collaborate with famous
Hollywood stars and human rights defenders within the scope of the
Armenian Genocide Centennial Commemoration Events.

The ‘100 Lives’ initiative, spearheaded by Vardanian, has designed an
annual award with the support of the ‘Not On Our Watch’ organisation
founded by George Clooney. The award will be presented to those who
risk their own lives to save the lives of others.

The ‘100 Lives’ initiative was launched with a reception held in New
York, and focuses on the stories of the ‘rescuers’ and ‘rescued’
in 1915. The collaboration of Russian Armenian investment banker
Ruben Vardanian and famous actor, human rights defender and Not On
Our Watch founder George Clooney aims to bring a new approach to
Genocide commemorations.

Greg Sarkissian, President of the Zoryan Institute based in Toronto,
Canada, is among the individuals whose stories will be told within the
framework of the 100 Lives initiative. Sarkissian shared his views
regarding the 100 Lives initiative, saying, “I call the people who
rescued lives during the Genocide the heroes of the world.

Unfortunately, our media generally talks about terrible events,
death and murders, and only rarely tells the stories of people who
rescue victims”.

“My family was saved by Hacı Halil in 1915”

Sarkissian explains that he discovered the story of his own family’s
salvation through his own individual research. Born in Beirut,
Sarkissian moved to the USA in 1976 to continue his education, and it
was during that period that he began to work to discover the events
that befell his family in 1915.

The Sarkissians, whose grandfather was executed by hanging in front of
other family members, were helped by a Turk named Hacı Halil. Today,
about Hacı Halil, who first hid the remaining members of his family
for a while, and then helped them escape to Aleppo, Sarkissian says,
“Although I wasn’t even born then, that person played a great role
in my life,” and adding, “Telling this kind of story accelerates the
healing process, and encourages young people to do good. I have three
children. My children must know that even in the midst of tragedy,
people can carry out good deeds, and recognize the value of human
life.”

Vardanian, the founder of ‘Troika Dialog’, one of the largest
investment banking firms in Russia, says his grandfather was saved by
American missionaries. Vardanyan’s American Armenian business partner,
biotechnology investor Noubar Afeyan, on the other hand, tells the
story of how his grandfather was saved from execution by German
officials working at the Baghdad Railway construction project. There
are also Kurds and Turks among the rescuers. “The humanity, power
and self-sacrifice displayed by these people who saved the lives
of many Armenians makes it imperative that their stories are told”
says Ruben Vardanian.

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN : DECLARATION NEGATIONNISTE DU MAF TURC

Publie le : 19-03-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – Par un communique du 14
mars 2015, Tanju Bilgic, Porte-parole du Ministère turc des Affaires
etrangères, commente avec aigreur la resolution du Parlement europeen
votee le 12 mars 2015, qui mentionne – dans le “Rapport annuel sur les
droits de l’homme et la democratie dans le monde en 2013 – le genocide
perpetre a l’encontre des Armeniens de l’Empire ottoman en 1915 en ces
termes : >. Tanju Bilgic reprend
la sempiternelle antienne negationniste de la diplomatie turque :
“Le rapport interprète une certaine periode de l’Empire ottoman,
qui etait tragique pour tous les peuples de l’Empire, avec une
approche unilaterale et un sens de la justice selective. Il ignore
egalement les initiatives humanitaires, realistes et constructives de
la Turquie sur la question et invoque des revendications illogiques
et illegales.” Tous ceux qui se laissent regulièrement berner par les
declarations ambiguës de Messieurs Erdogan et Davutoglu vont-ils enfin
comprendre la nature intrinsèquement negationniste du regime turc ? Le
Collectif VAN relaye ici le Communique de presse du Porte-parole du
Ministère turc des Affaires etrangères publie sur le site du Ministère
des Affaires Etrangères de la Republique de Turquie le 14 mars 2015.

Ministère des Affaires Etrangères de la Republique de Turquie

Communique de Presse

14 mars 2015

Declaration du Porte-parole du Ministère des Affaires etrangères
Tanju Bilgic en reponse a une question concernant les affirmations
du Parlement europeen sur les evenements de 1915 inclus dans le
“Rapport annuel sur les droits de l’homme et la democratie dans le
monde en 2013”

Le “Rapport annuel sur les droits de l’homme et la democratie dans le
monde en 2013”, qui a ete adopte par l’Assemblee generale du Parlement
europeen le 12 Mars 2015, a inclus les affirmations sur les evenements
de 1915, qui sont tout a fait depourvues de la realite historique et
du fondement juridique.

Nous trouvons ces affirmations a tous egards extremement problematique
et les deplorons.

Le rapport interprète une certaine periode de l’Empire ottoman, qui
etait tragique pour tous les peuples de l’Empire, avec une approche
unilaterale et un sens de la justice selective. Il ignore egalement
les initiatives humanitaires, realistes et constructives de la Turquie
sur la question et invoque des revendications illogiques et illegales.

Ces mesures prises par ceux qui ne comprennent pas cette question
historique ou ont l’intention de l’exploiter a des fins politiques non
seulement endommagent les relations Turquie-UE, mais aussi entravent
la voie pour que les Turcs et les Armeniens construisissent leur
avenir ensemble.

Le Parlement europeen avait presente cette approche unilaterale
aussi dans sa resolution sur “une solution politique a la question
armenienne>>, adoptee en 1987 et dans plusieurs documents ulterieurs.

Cependant, les experiences precedentes ont montre clairement que de
telles mesures ne servent pas du tout a l’amitie turco-armenien.

Nous attendons de nos partenaires europeens a contribuer de manière
constructive aux efforts de la solution et d’encourager la partie
armenienne qui evite les etudes objectives et scientifiques sur la
question a etre ouverte au dialogue et a la reconciliation, plutôt
que d’approfondir encore le problème.

Malgre les interventions biaisee et partiales, la Turquie continuera
de faire tout son possible pour que les gens turcs et armeniens, en
dialoguant l’une avec l’autre, discutent de leur histoire commune d’une
manière juste et avec l’esprit ouvert et de resister aux initiatives
visant a l’enregistrement d’une vision unilaterale de l’histoire a
l’encontre des valeurs universelles et du droit international.

Lire aussi :

Parlement europeen : Pour la reconnaissance du genocide armenien par
les Etats de l’UE

Source/Lien : Ministère des Affaires Etrangères de la Republique
de Turquie