Armenian sambo sportsmen win two medals in Thessalonica
2010-04-17 17:55:00
ArmInfo. On April 16 Armenian sportsmen won two medals at the European
Sambo Championship in Thessalonica, Greece, the Armenian Sambo
Federation told ArmInfo.
Mher Karapetyan (75 kg weight category) was awarded a silver medal,
and David Grigioryan (82 kg weight category) was awarded a bronze
medal.
PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN: "WE WERE PROMISED THAT THERE WILL BE VERY SERIOUS WORK WITH ARMENIAN SIDE TO ASSURE THEM TO ACCEPT THE NEW PROPOSALS"
APA
April 15 2010
Azerbaijan
Baku – APA. "We entered in a very decisive stage of the solution to
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno Karabakh", said President
of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at the cabinet meeting dedicated to
socio-economic outcomes of first quarter of 2010, APA reports.
The Head of State said he shared his ideas about this issue with
public community and expressed the position of Azerbaijan many times.
"But the events are rapidly developing and of course, I would like to
express my ideas about the current stage of the negotiation process
and official position of the government of Azerbaijan as well. We
noted many times that the conflict could be solved only on the
basis of international law. Four resolutions adopted by UN Security
Council must be fulfilled, the occupation forces must be withdrawn
from all of the occupied lands and Azerbaijani citizens – refugees
and internally displaced persons must return to the occupied lands,
including Nagorno Karabakh. The status of Nagorno Karabakh can be
determined only after that and this status can be granted only within
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan will never agree
with any status out of that. No one will recognize Nagorno Karabakh
as an independent subject upon our disagreement".
"After return of our citizens to the occupied lands the temporary
status of Nagorno Karabakh can find its solution", said the President
and emphasized that the status could be only within the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan. According to the Head of State, in very
beginning and throughout the negotiation process, the position
of Azerbaijan was that Nagorno Karabakh can receive the highest
autonomous status in the world. "We are loyal to this position and
in distinction from Armenians we never conducted ethnic cleansing
operations and we never had such intentions. Sometimes we hear very
ridiculous statements from Armenia that if Azerbaijan’s proposal
is accepted there will be no Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Let
them not to judge us by their own standard. Azerbaijani people never
discriminate other nations. In distinction from Armenia, we are not a
mono-state. All peoples and representatives of all nations are living
in our country as a family. This is our feature, our mind. Armenia
may be only country in the world, I mean non-island country, that no
other nations except Armenians are living there, despite that present
Armenia was established in the historic lands of Azerbaijan and most
of the population of Iravan Khanate was Azerbaijanis. This is our
historic land, but Azerbaijanis were expelled from present Armenian by
different ways and methods. Not only Azerbaijanis, but representatives
of other nations too were expelled from Armenia, killed, oppressed
or Armenia created such conditions for them that they were forced
to leave that country. Therefore Azerbaijan never conducts ethnic
cleansing policy against any one and will never do that".
The President said if Armenia accepted the proposals which reflected
the norms of international law, Azerbaijani and Armenian communities
would live together in Nagorno Karabakh and they must do that. "Living
of Azerbaijanis there will prove the historic justice and it will
completely be in accordance with the norms of international law.
Armenia must express its position in present stage. We were
expressing our position to the heads of states and governments of
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries for long years. Armenia is
artificially prolonging the negotiations. Armenia is not sincere in
the negotiations and delaying the negotiations under the different
pretexts. It returns back to the coordinated issues and repeatedly
brings them to agenda that it can win the time. They consider that in
due course, this "status-quo" will be strengthened and ten or twenty
years later there will be useful opportunities to legitimate illegal
Nagorno Karabakh regime. We informed the Minsk Group ambassadors and
heads of states and governments many times that we have doubts on that
and these doubts were created not by nonentity. They have backgrounds
that Armenia is delaying negotiations trying to turn them into endless
process as if it participates in the negotiations and therefore it
needs not to impose sanctions against them. They attempt to accuse
Azerbaijan in delaying the negotiations. We approach such stage that
Armenia’s insidious and double-face policy can not be continued. We
are in such stage that they have to respond the proposals of the Minsk
Group co-chairs. The three Minsk Group co-chair countries elaborated
the proposal on the basis of renewed Madrid principles and submitted
it to both sides. Of course, Azerbaijani diplomacy played a great role
in forming of this proposal and giving it current form. If we look at
the early phase of the process, which was called the "Prague process",
we can see that there were many points which didn’t satisfy us. There
were very dangerous points and mechanisms which threatened Nagorno
Karabakh to separate it from Azerbaijan. As a result of our efforts
in the past five years within the framework of Prague process, and I
think, as a result of the co-chair’s new views, we are discussing today
the proposals elaborated on renewed Madrid principles. This was a great
process. Armenia tried to leave this process by the different ways
in the different periods. They made themselves ridiculous sometimes
leaving the process, sometimes interrupting it for unknown reasons
and not informing anyone about that. We see that they are ready to
do everything, even to make themselves ridiculous. They are ready
to introduce themselves as a country with non-constructive position
that only to achieve endless process of negotiations and to make the
world calm that the negotiations are going on and there is no war. Let
them to negotiate if they want that. We already reached that line that
both Armenian and Azerbaijani sides must express their positions. We
expressed our position. Azerbaijan officially expressed it position in
the negotiations with Armenian president in Munich last November and
in the last trilateral meeting in Sochi wit participation of Russian
president Medvedev that it accepts the proposals made on the basis
of renewed Madrid principles and it contains few unsettling points
for Azerbaijan. There can be few exceptions and this proposal can be
considered as a background for a peace agreement. Unfortunately Armenia
has not expressed its position so far and it has not expressed any
position in the past two months, and as we were informed, the issues
they added to this proposal will return us back to the beginning of the
process. It can not be accepted by us or by the OSCE Minsk Group. We
were promised that there will be very serious work with Armenia to
assure them to accept the new proposals. We are in this stage.
Of course we are analyzing the situation, ongoing processes in the
region and expecting Armenia to give a positive answer to the proposals
of the three countries – Russia, France and America, in this case we
will hold negotiations actively, the new stage of the negotiations
will begin, work will begin on the concrete agreement. If they do not
accept this proposal, I think the negotiations will lose their meaning,
it is inadmissible for us to hold negotiations just for imitation.
The head of state mentioned that he had said they would not hold
negotiations for imitation.
"We will hold the negotiations by the time we have hope that they will
produce results. If we see there is no hope, the negotiations should
be stopped and of course a new stage will begin. It is still early
to say what that stage will consist of. Anyway, we are ready for any
scenario. We are making our preparations so that we can take steps
in accordance with the situation. I consider and want to underline
once more that in the present stage it is obvious for all, including
the co-chairing countries that the Armenian side is upsetting the
negotiations. If earlier the co-chairing countries wanted to ignore
it, now it is impossible to do it. It is obvious for them that the
Armenian side is upsetting the negotiations. In this situation I am
sure that serious work should be done with the Armenian side.
Stimulating Armenia, giving them hope and ignoring their aggressive
policy may upset the negotiations. Therefore I consider that under
the present decisive stage all countries, especially Minsk Group
co-chairing countries should be very sensitive. Those who are not
familiar with the situation closely should try to study the situation
in the region, at least read about the ongoing historical processes in
the region from the books, learn the history of the past twenty years.
I do not want to blame anybody, if they do not know, they should learn,
come to conclusion, take right steps. But such a political support is
given to Armenia that it may refuse the negotiations after all. Is
it right to leave Nagorno Karabakh out of account and discuss other
issues? It is quite wrong, mistaken and contradicts Azerbaijan’s
national interests. What position can we demonstrate to those who
demonstrate the position contradicting our national interests?! How
can we protect, support the interests of those who violate our
interests? No matter whether countries are big or small, everything is
mutual in the world. It is not we who invented it. The world community
is functioning basing on this. The economic potential, military power,
population or territory can not play role in the bilateral relations.
If so then the UN should stop functioning. All countries have
equal rights and all countries establish and should establish equal
relations. Azerbaijan is a country accepting only this approach. Of
course, how can Azerbaijani public accept it, if our interests are left
out of consideration, the occupation of our territories is ignored and
efforts are made to lead the aggressor state out of the hard economic
situation?! Why aren’t pressures exerted on the aggressor state?! Why
does Azerbaijan demonstrate almost the greatest constructiveness in the
negotiations, while Armenia upsets the negotiations?! We are observing
the efforts aiming to lead Armenia out of this hard situation. Why
should Turkey-Armenia borders be opened and Armenia should take a
breath?! First of all, the opening of Turkey-Armenia borders is the
affair of Turkey and Armenia. No one should interfere in it, neither
we, nor the others. Though some countries consider that they should
interfere in everything. These are the relations between the two
countries. Let these two countries solve the relations. Of course,
while solving the relations these countries will take into account the
ongoing processes in the region, history and historical relations. What
do the sides that are unaware of anything, the ongoing processes in
the region want to achieve by pressure, blackmail and slander?! This
policy openly contradicts Azerbaijan’s interests. Azerbaijani state
is taking and will take adequate steps in its policy.
As regards the process of negotiations, I want to reiterate: we still
hope that the Armenian side will give a positive answer to the proposed
variant. If it is so, we will hold peace talks more actively, a new
stage, positive stage can be opened in the negotiations," he said.
TURKEY PM SAYS NOT TO OPEN BORDER WITH ARMENIA
Global Times
April 15 2010
China
Comments Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday
the border between Turkey and Armenia would remain closed unless a
solution was reached in the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region,
the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
Turkey is ready to open the border as soon as Armenia ends " occupation
of Azerbaijan’s territory," Erdogan was quoted as telling reporters
upon his arrival in Turkey from the Nuclear Security Summit held in
the United States from April 12 to 13.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 to support Azerbaijan,
which had a territorial conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh
region. Ankara has said the border could be opened only after the
withdrawal of Armenian troops from the disputed land.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic or economic ties. The two
neighbors signed protocols to normalize relations and open long-
sealed borders last October but the move has stalled since then.
The reconciliation process suffered a further blow after a US
congressional panel and the Swedish parliament last month passed
resolutions that recognize killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule
during the World War I as "genocide."
Erdogan said Turkey stood behind its commitments in the protocols
signed with Armenia last October to normalize relations, while noting
that "no one has the right to impose one’s own memories on Turkey"
when referring to Armen
Erdogan also reiterated his support for a "democratic and diplomatic
solution" of Iran’s nuclear issue and Turkey’s readiness to help find
a settlement of problems in Kyrgyzstan.
Last week, Kyrgyz opposition parties claimed to form an interim
coalition government, while President Kurmanbek Bakiyev refused to
step down and fled the capital to southern Kyrgyzstan after a day of
bloody unrest.
Bakiyev had not made any demand to Turkey for asylum, said Erdogan.
PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Watch our latest videos on YouTube here:
THE SPEAKER OF THE PARLIAMENT OF ARMENIA VISITS ANTELIAS
On Tuesday 13 April 2010, the speaker of the Parliament Mr. Hovig Abrahamian
visited Antelias. In the absence of His Holiness Aram I, H.E. Arch bishop
Komitas Ohanian, H.G. Bishop Norayr Ashekian, Very Rev. Krikor Chiftjian,
Fr. Sahag Yemishian and Fr. Ghevont Pentezian welcomed the guest.
After placing a wreath at the Memorial Chapel of the martyrs of the
genocide, Mr. Hovig Abrahamian met with the representatives of His Holiness
Aram I, who introduced to him the Catholocosate, its activities and its role
in the Diaspora. At the end of the visit, H.E. Archbishop Komitas thanked
the Speaker of the Parliament of Armenia for his visit and told him that his
presence at the Holy See of Cilicia was a sign of strengthening
Armenia-Diaspora cooperation.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.
PRIME MINISTER OF ARMENIA SENDS CONDOLENCES TO HIS POLISH COUNTERPART ON TRAGIC DEATH OF POLISH PRESIDENT
ArmInfo
2010-04-12 10:12:00
ArmInfo. Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sarkisyan has sent
condolences to his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk on death of President
of Poland Lech Kaczynski, Armenian governmental press service told
ArmInfo.
The telegram says the following: "On behalf of the Armenian government
and on my behalf I express my deep condolences on death of the Polish
President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria Kaczynski, as well as
members of the delegation they were accompanied by. We are shocked by
this tragedy and share your grief. We express the words of consolation
and courage to the families of those died, their relatives and the
brotherly Polish people".
To recall, TU-154 plane carrying President of Poland Lech Kaczynski
together with the Polish official delegation from Warsaw for
participation in the Katyn memorial ceremonies, crashed on April 10
morning in Smolensk region under the town of Pechyorsk on approach to
Smolensk airport in conditions of heavy frog. All 96 people on-board,
including the Polish president and his wife, died.
SERZH SARGSYAN TO MEET TURKISH PM ERDOGAN IN WASHINGTON
Tert.am
12.04.10
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is set to hold a meeting with the
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the framework of a
World Nuclear Security Summit in Washington today.
The meeting is scheduled at 9:30 am local time (6:30 pm Yerevan time),
Tert.am’s correspondent in Washington Karen Harutyunyan says, adding
that later Sargsyan is expected to hold another meeting with the
US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton,
though the timing of the meeting with Clinton is still to be scheduled.
Sargsyan will attend an official supper given by US President later
at night in honor of the participants of the summit.
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan, also in the Armenian
delegation, in turn, will attend an official supper given by the US
Secretary State Hilary Clinton.
Among the Armenian delegation headed by the RA president are also
the Deputy Chief Staff of president’s administration, Vigen Sargsyan,
and Armenia’s Ambassador to US Tatul Margaryan.
President’s Office of Public Relations and Mass Media informs that
Serzh Sargsyan will have a short holiday abroad after the summit.
ARMENIAN RUGBY TEAM BIT SERBS
Tert.am
12.04.10
On its own turf the Armenian rugby team had its last match with Serbia
in the Rugby European Nations Cup Division 3.
The Armenian team won at a 20:19 score and secured the second place
with 16 points, following the Lithuanian team which had scored
18 points.
Aysor, Armenia
April 10 2010
The 18th anniversary of Maraga tragedy
Today is the 18th anniversary of the tragic events that took place in
Maraga. The Maraga tragedy was the usual ring of a chain of ethnic
cleansings and genocidal activities that Azerbaijan realized against
the Armenians in Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh. The military
aggression of Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh was accompanied with
violations that are out of logic and imagination. But even on such a
black background Maraga’s atrocities are separated.
Maraga was one of the largest settlements of Nagorno Karabakh. Was,
because in 1992 on April 10 the Azerbaijani Omonians invaded the
village, destroyed it, burnt it togather with the peaceful
inhabitants; the other part of them was taken to unknown directions.
Those who could survive hid themselves in the forests and leaving the
place spread all over the world. However Maraga continues staying
under the control of Azerbaijan.
aga/index.html
jpg
Maraga was the gate of Nagorno Karabakh on Gandzak ` Stepanakert
highway. The inhabitants of Maraga were traditional people, hospitable
as any Armenian is. They loved nature, were cultivating mainly rice,
they had fig and pomegranate orchards, gardens. Maraga has given birth
to many scientists, musicians, writers. The village has been destroyed
by the Turkish for two times in 1918 and 1921. After that the
Armenians were more careful, but the nature of the Armenians is such
that, they easily trust everybody.
>From the very first days of Karabakh movement Maraga was endangered,
it was in fire.
Here what Valya Khachikyan who survived the brutal atrocities of the
Azeri tells: `In the evening of April 9, approximately at 6 the gun
started, but we were used to it. They gunned from Alazan. My husband
and I were in cellar where we were living for 3 years. On April 10, at
6 in the morning the active firing started, things were bombed every
second minute. About 3000 bombs were thrown towards the village. We
lived it until 14:00. Then we were told that the Azerbaijani invaded
the village. Those who couldn’t leave the village, have been murdered
brutally, burnt or kept hostage. But those who ran away survived
another hell ` bombs accompanying our way¦’
Azerbaijani troops robbed the houses, but if there were things they
couldn’t rob they burnt together with the house owners inside. The
inhabitants have been brutally murdered ` burnt, sawed up. According
to different estimates 80-100 people were murdered in Maraga,
including 30 women, about 40 Maraga residents were injured and 63
captivated. 9 children were also taken hostage. Many residents have
been murdered while running away in front of the parents, children and
relatives. Seven of those captivated were sent back, 17 were
exchanged, one was found, one managed to escape the hostage, 8 were
believed to be murdered, and the rest 29 are not found.
The governor of Maraga, former commander of self-defending squad Roma
Karapetyan says the number of the victims would be bigger if the local
self defending forces, being not armed properly, would not try to stop
the Azeri troops’ entering the village. It is known the Azery had
planned to conquer the village with a sudden attack, and if they
succeeded hardly any inhabitant would stay alive, especially when the
Azeri had more than 20 soviet armours with them. The guys of little
squad of Maraga, unfortunately, died while defending the village in
that unequal fight¦ Here what Baroness Caroline Cox tells:
`It is impossible to describe what we saw there. The village was
completely destroyed. The people were burying the dead, rather to say
any thing that was possible to bury, tortured, burnt alive, cut or
sawed parts of bodies. A part of them was buried a day before, we took
them out for taking them by camera, though we realized how hard it was
for the Armenians. All the materials that were shot during those days
comes to prove that there was a horrible massacres realized; there
were beheaded, cut corpses, corpses of children, bloody land and parts
of body which were sawed. We saw the bloody swords by which they had
done all these brutalities. We probably had to take all those thinks
with us as proves, but I couldn’t. After killing the inhabitants the
Azeri had robbed and burnt the village.’
68E
Both the Armenian and the independent media mention that though the
Maraga massacres were vary brutal ones they have not been spoken about
too much. According to Caroline Cox the English Daily Telegraph
newspaper was to publish about Maraga massacres, but then refused.
By the way Shahin Talib ogli Tagiev, the commander of `Gurtulush’
military squad, recived tha title of `Azerbaijani national hero’ for
realizing the Maraga carnage. He received it for genocide activities;
it is a common Turkish- Azeri handwriting.
The witnesses describe very violent scenes which we do not find
rational to quote them.
Unfortunately the international community hasn’t given its proper
assessment to the traditional mass executions of the Azeri. While the
Azeri, being unpunished till now continue lying, sometimes even
putting the mask of victims. But however you try to falsify the
history the truth of the facts cannot be concealed for a long time¦
You can find additional information by the following links:
n/docs-ru/crime/chapter8_10.html#9
http://maragha. nk.am/indexarm.html
news/2009-08-01-10
10/04/10/maraga-genocide/
Demand for real estate up as prices fall in Armenia
10.04.2010
ArmInfo. Real estate alienation deals for Feb 2010 numbered 3319,
including 2643 (79.6%) were purchase-and-sale deals, says the report
by the State Committee for Real Estate provided to ArmInfo. In fact,
583 apartments in residential buildings were purchased in Feb in
Yerevan and another 307 in the region. As for private houses, a total
of 371 purchase transactions were registered, including 297 in the
regions.
Real estate purchase-and-sale deals were up almost 40% in Feb 2010. No
significant price fluctuations were registered in the sector in Feb.
Nevertheless, real estate prices in the country fell 4% per year. In
particular, in Feb 2010 the average price of the immovable property in
the capital city was 270.3 thousand drams/sq.m at residential
buildings and 281 thousand drams/sq.m of private house. In the regions
the prices were 77.4 thousand drams/sq.m and 84.3 thousand drams/sq.m
respectively.
The highest price in the Kentron Community (city center) totaled 470
thousand drams/sq.m, whereas the highest price for regional housing
was registered in the resort town of Tsakhkadzor – 200 thousand
drams/sq.m in average.
ARMENIA’S FOREIGN DEBT WILL GROW: IMF
news.am
April 9 2010
Armenia
International Monetary Fund (IMF) office in Armenia will shortly
publish a report with forecasts for 2010 – Armenia will register
an economic upturn of 1.8% and inflation of 6.2%, IMF resident
representative in Armenia Guillermo Tolosa told journalists today,
April 9.
As for the foreign debt of the country, he reckons that it increased
dramatically and will grow in the years to come. According to him,
starting 2012 the net foreign debt starts to decrease. Nonetheless,
Tolosa said that the national debt will be stable if he noted terms
are followed.
Commenting on the economic growth of 1.8%, the financier emphasized
that the forecast was made this February and the new one is pending
in May, which is likely to be different considering the changes on
global economy.