Author: Kamalian Hagop

CHIEF EDITOR OF EGYPTIAN NEWSPAPER APOLOGIZES TO AZERBAIJANI PEOPLE

Today
Jan 22 2010
Azerbaijan

"Indicating Nagorno-Karabakh and Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of
Azerbaijan as an Armenian territory on the Azerbaijan Republic’s map
in Egyptian "Moheet" web site is an technical fault," editor-in-chief
of the Web site Mustafa Zeki said.

He apologized to Azerbaijan people for mistake and added that the
problem would be eliminated soon.

Nagorno-Karabakh and Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan was
shown as an Armenian territory on the map posted on the Egyptian Web
site inside the article about the week of Egyptian films held in Baku
on Dec. 14-18, 2009.

/APA/

URL:

ARMENIA – RUSSIA COLLABORATION STRENGTHENED IN 2009

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.01.2010 19:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Collaboration between Armenia and Russia strengthened
in 2009, RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said, summarizing
2009 results.

As he told a news conference in Yerevan, a number of meetings were
held between Armenian and Russian leaders; steps were undertaken
towards bilateral relations’ strengthening as well as development
and implementation of new programs.

The year of 2009 was marked by Armenia’s successful chairmanship in
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and Organization of
the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).

Besides, Armenia took active participation in the work of CIS and
EurAsEC, Edward Nalbandian stated.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization, formed under the framework
of the Commonwealth of Independent States, serves as a mutual defense
alliance among Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and
Tajikistan. The Collective Security Treaty (CST) was signed on May
15, 1992 for five-year term, with the possibility of prolongation. On
December 2, 2004 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted
the Resolution to grant the observer status to the Collective Security
Treaty Organization in the General Assembly of the United Nations. The
goal of the Collective Security Treaty Organization is to strengthen
peace and international and regional security and stability and to
ensure collective protection of independence, territorial integrity
and sovereignty of Member States, in the attainment of which Member
States shall give priority to political methods. On February 4, 2009,
the CSTO leaders approved formation of Collective Rapid Reaction Force
(RRF).

On 25 June 1992, the Heads of State and Government of eleven countries
signed in Istanbul the Summit Declaration and the Bosporus Statement
giving birth to the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). It came into
existence as a model of multilateral political and economic initiative
aimed at fostering interaction and harmony among the Member States,
as well as to ensure peace, stability and prosperity encouraging
friendly and good-neighbourly relations in the Black Sea region.

The BSEC Headquarters – the Permanent International Secretariat of
the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC PERMIS)
– was established in March 1994 in Istanbul.

With the entry into force of its Charter on 1 May 1999, BSEC acquired
international legal identity and was transformed into a full-fledged
regional economic organization: Organization of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation. With the accession of Serbia (then Serbia and Montenegro)
in April 2004, the Organization’s Member States increased to twelve.

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization
whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed
during the breakup of the Soviet Union.

The organization was founded on 8 December 1991 by the Republic of
Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine, when the leaders of
the three countries met in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Natural Reserve,
about 50 km (30 miles) north of Brest in Belarus and signed a Creation
Agreement on the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the creation
of CIS as a successor entity to the USSR. At the same time they
announced that the new alliance would be open to all republics of
the former Soviet Union, as well as other nations sharing the same
goals. The CIS charter stated that all the members were sovereign and
independent nations and thereby effectively abolished the Soviet Union.

On 21 December 1991, the leaders of eight additional former Soviet
Republics – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,
Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan – agreed to join the CIS,
thus bringing the number of participating countries to 11. Georgia
joined two years later, in December 1993. As of that time, 12 of
the 15 former Soviet Republics participated in the CIS. Three former
Soviet Republics, the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
chose not to join.

The Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC or EurAsEC) originated from
the Commonwealth of Independent States customs union between Belarus,
Russia and Kazakhstan on 29 March 1996. The Treaty on the establishment
of the Eurasian Economic Community was signed on 10 October 2000,
in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana by Presidents Alexander Lukashenko
of Belarus, Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, Askar Akayev of
Kyrgyzstan, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Emomali Rakhmonov of
Tajikistan. On 7 October 2005 it was decided between the member states
that Uzbekistan would join. Freedom of movement is implemented among
the members (no visa requirements).

GALSTAUN COLLEGE ANNOUNCES TESTING FOR GIFTED & TALENTED PROGRAM

Noyan Tapan
Jan 21, 2010

SYDNEY, JANUARY 21, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Those students
wishing to enroll at Galstaun College in 2010 will be able to take
special academic tests from Tuesday 18th of January and participate
in the College’s new Gifted and Talented Program. Kerry Cumming, who
joined the staff since last year as both its new High School English
teacher and Special Education Co-ordinator has already brought Galstaun
College a wealth of knowledge and experience. She is highly qualified
with Masters degrees in both Education and Special Education.

Head Of College Carolyn Blanden noted. "We invite those students who
do not yet attend Galstaun College to participate in the testing
program so that our highly qualified and specialist teachers can
identify their special educational needs, and to see if they qualify
for Galstaun College’s Gifted and Talented Program." About this we
know from the website

TURKISH AND ARMENIAN RECONCILIATION EFFORTS HIT FRESH OBSTACLES

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.01.2010 13:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish and Armenian efforts to overcome a century of
hostility hit fresh obstacles this week, as Ankara protested against a
ruling by Armenia’s constitutional court on their bilateral agreement
to normalize relations, Financial Time reports.

Paragraph 5 of the Armenian Constitutional Court argumentation
affirms that the protocols "cannot be interpreted…in a way that
would contradict the provisions of the preamble to the Republic of
Armenian constitution and the requirements of Paragraph 11 of the
[1990] Declaration of Independence of Armenia." Paragraph 11 of the
Declaration reads that "the Republic of Armenia stands in support of
the task of achieving international recognition of the 1915 genocide
in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia."

The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks
held through Swiss mediation.

On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of
Armenia found the protocols conformable to the country’s Organic Law.

Commenting on the decision of the Armenian Constitutional Court, the
Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the decision contains
preconditions and restrictive provisions which impair the letter and
spirit of the Protocols.

"The decision undermines the very reason for negotiating these
Protocols as well as their fundamental objective. This approach
cannot be accepted on our part. Turkey, in line with its accustomed
allegiance to its international commitments, maintains its adherence
to the primary provisions of these Protocols.

We expect the same allegiance from the Armenian Government," the
Ministry said.

ARMENIAN PREMIER INSTRUCTS MINISTERS TO OUTLINE THEIR TOP-PRIORITY OBJECTIVES FOR 2010

ARKA
Jan 20, 2010

YEREVAN, January 20. /ARKA/. On Wednesday, Armenian Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan instructed ministers to outline their top-priority
objectives for 2010.

He also instructed them to submit their 2009 activity reports and to
point out the ministries’ faults and problems that hobbled reformation
and affected economic growth.

Some cabinet ministries presented their 2009 reports to the premier
at Wednesday’s meeting.

TURKISH MP TOUGHENS STANCE ON ARMENIAN PROTOCOLS

news.az
Jan 20 2010
Azerbaijan

Murad Mercan Turkey’s parliament will not discuss the Armenian
protocols until Armenia withdraws its troops from Azerbaijan, MP
Murad Mercan has said.

Mercan, who is chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s
foreign policy commission, was talking to Azerbaijan’s Trend news
agency on Wednesday.

"The protocols signed between Ankara and Yerevan will not be discussed
in the Turkish parliament before the withdrawal of Armenian troops
from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan," Mercan said.

He said that relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan, based on the
principles of friendship and brotherhood, take precedence for Ankara.

"The Grand National Assembly of Turkey represents the Turkish people
who have always supported the Azerbaijani nation. For this very reason,
ratification of these protocols in the Turkish parliament is impossible
without the complete resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict,"
Mercan said.

Mercan said on Saturday that discussion of the protocols in parliament
would be a waste of time, as MPs would not ratify them.

TURKEY’S PRIME-MINISTER: ANKARA-YEREVAN RELATIONS CAN REMAIN PARTIAL

Trend
Jan 20 2010
Azerbaijan

The relations between Ankara and Yerevan can remain partial, Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a press-conference during
the visit to Saudi Arabia, CNN Turk agency reported.

Prime-Minister said the relations between Ankara and Yerevan will
remain partial due to Armenian Constitutional Court’s demands.

Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey were broken due
to Armenian claims of an alleged genocide and its occupation of
Azerbaijani lands. Their border closed in 1993.

Despite some people see no connection between the normalization of
relations between Turkey and Armenia and resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem, this process is directly related to the settlement of the
conflict, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier
in an interview after his official visit to Moscow.

THE EU ADVISORY GROUP IN THE GOVERNMENT

T uesday, 19 January 2010

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan welcomed the Advisory Group of the
European Union, led by head of EU delegation in Armenia, Ambassador
Raul Lutzenberger.

Greeting the guests, the Prime Minister appreciated these already
traditional meetings with the Advisory Group meant to allow the two
sides to sum up what has been done and outline further action.

Down to the meeting agenda, the parties have touched upon the
government’s anti-corruption policy, tax and customs reforms with a
focus on governance transparency.

Next, the parties looked at the ongoing preparations for the signing
of a free trade agreement and the efforts aimed at ensuring unimpeded
movement of goods and introducing the GSP+ system in Armenia. They
went on to discuss the status of intellectual property protection
measures and possibilities for the development of small and medium-size
enterprise. Reference was made of public debt management activities,
capacity building within the Ministry of Finance. In this context,
the need for providing appropriate training to government experts
was emphasized on either side.

In conclusion, the Prime Minister thanked the members of the group
for valuable advice by noting that separate meetings will be held to
formulate specific recommendations for each individual problem.

ARMENIA: WPFC condemns seven-year prison sentence against leading journalist

IFEX – News from the international freedom of expression community
________________________________________ _________________________

ALERT – ARMENIA

20 January 2010

WPFC condemns seven-year prison sentence against leading journalist

SOURCE: World Press Freedom Committee

(WPFC/IFEX) – Washington, USA, Jan. 19, 2010 – The World Press Freedom
Committee – an organization representing 45 press freedom groups from
throughout the world – condemns the seven-year prison sentence handed
down today against Armenian journalist Nikol Pashinyan,
editor-in-chief of the country’s leading newspaper, Haykakan Zhamanak
(Armenian Times), who was arrested on July 1 after he voluntarily came
out of hiding.

Mr. Pashinyan was accused of serious crimes, including inciting mass
disorder and assaulting a public official. But the truth is he was
just exercising his right to free expression during a peaceful
political rally on March 1 and 2, 2008, which ended up being brutally
repressed by riot police. The bloody incident left ten people dead.

A 2008 US State Department report on human rights concluded that,
"some of the deaths may have occurred from purposeful arbitrary
killing, misuse of crowd control equipment (. . .) or some combination
of these factors." The report goes on to conclude that no
investigations were conducted into the behavior of the security forces
during the incident.

Mr. Pashinyan, whose writings had been very critical of the
government, went into hiding after that fateful day and continued
writing for his newspaper. After the Armenian Parliament passed a
resolution of amnesty for all those implicated in the March 1
incident, he decided to come out of hiding only to be immediately
arrested and taken to a former KGB prison.

The arrest, trial, conviction and sentencing of Mr. Pashinyan defy the
amnesty resolution and a resolution by the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe (PACE), which reminded the Armenian authorities
that "the amnesty will also apply to those persons charged in relation
to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008." The PACE resolution also urged
the Armenian authorities to allow those charged in relation with that
incident to remain free during the duration of their legal
proceedings.

Arresting a journalist because of reasons directly or indirectly
related to his professional activity is a serious attack not only on
his fundamental human rights, including press freedom, but also on his
audience, who are deprived of important information about issues of
public interest. By sentencing him to seven years in prison, his
audience is also held hostage to an arbitrary decision that violates
fundamental democratic principles.

The harassment and illegal detention of members of the media represent
grave violations of fundamental human rights, postulates enshrined not
only in the Armenian Constitution but also in international covenants,
such as the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The conviction and imprisonment of Mr. Pashinyan constitute an attack
on his fundamental human rights and, should he decide to appeal his
sentence, the court that rules on the appeal should declare his
sentence null and void.

inyan_seven_years/

For more information:

World Press Freedom Committee
United States
Tel: +1 202 296 5101

‘FRIENDS OF HRANT’ AND NOR ZARTONK COMMEMORATE JOURNALIST HRANT DINK

BIAnet
ies/119531-friends-of-hrant-and-nor-zartonk-commem orate-journalist-hrant-dink
Jan 19 2010
Turkey

On the third anniversary of the assassination of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, ‘Friends of Hrant’ and the Nor Zartonk formation
commemorate the Turkish-Armenian journalist. Both groups strongly
criticize that the murder case has not been solved yet despite
conclusive evidence.

Erol ONDEROÄ~^LU [email protected] Istanbul – BÄ°A News Center19 January
2010, Tuesday Three years after Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink
was assassinated in front of Agos newspaper, his friends call out:
"We know the murderer, we want justice". For a decent future they
claim that Hrant Dink’s murder should not be forgotten and that the
murderers and the abettors should not get away with what they did.

Journalist and writer Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of the weekly
Agos newspaper publishing in both languages Armenian and Turkish,
was killed on 19 January 2007. The journalist will be commemorated
in a public ceremony held in front of Agos newspaper in Å~^iÅ~_li,
Istanbul, on Tuesday afternoon (19 January), the third anniversary
of the assassination.

The "Friends of Hrant" group made a public call for the commemoration
event and also for the coming hearing of the murder case on 8
February. They have published an announcement in the mainstream
newspapers throughout the last couple of days.

"Hrant was killed by a collective official decision" In the published
notice the group once more urged to identify the responsible people
within the state and to punish them accordingly, stating that "Hrant
was killed by a collective official decision".

They declare:

"It has been three years since Hrant Dink was killed and his murderers
are still walking around stalking. Three or five people who did
the errand were taken to court. The state mobilized the governor,
commanders, politicians, judges and prosecutors to prevent an effective
investigation. The ones who prepared the ground for the murder continue
their duty hard-nosed.

"The people who made this murder possible or turned a blind eye to
it, who trained the murderers, who appointed them to official duties,
who flew the flag of murder and published images of heroism… They
were all protected, taken care of and still serve the state".

"The government who has seen enough justice done for Hrant might even
promote them and appoint them to new ranks.

Taking all that into account, let’s ask: WHO IS THE MURDERER OF HRANT?

"And let’s give an answer: Hrant was killed by a collective official
decision. These rulers are cruel, coward and deceitful. They will
not come out, they will not show themselves. Remember the "Cage" plan
seized from the maze of the deep state. [The "Cage Operation Action
Plan" was supposedly worked out as a coup plan by the Naval Forces,
targeting non-Muslims and aiming to charge them of their religious
beliefs.] Remember that people referred to the murder of Hrant as an
"operation".

"They try to drag us, Hrant’s friends, his loved ones and the ones
seeking justice, into the same darkness. They want us to remain
short-winded between the dusty files of the courts, to become fed up
with attending hearings, to lose hopes for seeking justice. We will
not stop. We cannot stop".

"Because we know that the future of every single one of us is not
is not assured if the ‘state’s hand’ behind the Hrant Dink murder
is not brought to justice without hesitation, if all those people
involved are not brought to account, the ones who assisted the
murderers, who turned a blind eye to it, who swept reports under
the rug, the police superiors who treated the murderer like a hero,
the gendarmerie commanders, mayors and members of the judiciary who
prevented investigations".

"Above all, Hrant left us an honourable ideal of brotherhood. We will
come together at the place he was killed on 19 January for the sake
of an honourable and trustworthy brotherhood and for justice for Hrant.

Join us if you want a just and honourable life dedicated to
brotherhood".

Nor Zartonk leads torch march from Taksim to Galatasaray The Nor
Zartonk formation, established by young Turkish-Armenians against
war and discrimination after Dink was killed, criticized the lack
of advancement in the murder investigation although three years have
passed in the meantime. The organization argued, "The truth is as clear
as the bright day, but the court could still not reach any results".

The formation participates in the gathering in front of Agos newspaper
on Tuesday afternoon. In the evening of the same day (19 January)
they will lead a torch march from Taksim Square down the centrally
located Istiklal Avenue to Galatasaray Square.

"We know the ones who cherish hate and hostility. We know the ones
who prevent the people in this country to live in brotherhood. None
of us will attain to comfort until light has been brought into the
dark. We know that the people who created this darkness are still
stalking on the streets and one day they will hurt us again. For this
reason we struggle without being daunted. While they are trying to
deceive us, silence, scare and suppress us we have no choice but to
continue with our struggle. We will carry on with our struggle as
long as the abysmal injustice and exploitation continues".