Author: Toganian Liana

ARMENIA IS TO TAKE PART IN NATO’S JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES SEPTEMBER 5-11 IN KAZAKHSTAN

ARMENPRESS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, 2009

Armenia will take part in NATO’s joint military exercises, which will
take place September 5-11 in Kazakhstan, Press Secretary of Armenian
Defense Minister Seyran Shahsuvaryan told Armenpress adding that in
the upcoming days it will be clearer what kind of contingent will
leave for military exercises.

The field military exercises directed toward the management of
emergency situations’ consequences are aimed at improving the skills
on implementing coordinated joint acts of North Atlantic Alliance
and the states cooperating with it in emergency situations.

USA, Russia, Germany, Great Britain, Austria, Ukraine, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Finland, Sweden, Macedonia, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey will take
part in the military exercises.

CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE OF PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN ON THE 19TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

ArmInfo
2009-08-24 18:51:00

ArmInfo. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has forwarded a
felicitation in view of the 19th Anniversary of the Declaration
of Independence. As the presidential press service told ArmInfo,
S. Sargsyan said, in particular: ‘Dear Fellow Citizens, Nineteen
years ago on this day, the Supreme Council of Armenia adopted the
Declaration of Independence, which became a historic and guiding
document for the future of our country. It embodied the will of the
people, who went through immeasurable sufferings, who paved their way
in history with the cross, letters and sweat, and when necessary –
also with the sword. It embodied the resolve of the people to build
their own country on their own land.

The Declaration of Independence was received by the entire Armenian
nation with great fervor since it was called upon to turn the centuries
long Armenian dream of restoring independent statehood into reality.

With this document, which told the world the news of the political
freedom of the people of Armenia, we asserted our ascension, which our
Republic and our people have been pursuing steadfastly all these years,
remaining faithful to the principles enshrined in the Declaration.

I cordially congratulate us all on the Anniversary of the Declaration
of Independence and wish you all the best9 9.

News.am

`Kurdish initiative’ – only thing Turkey capable of
16:52 / 08/22/2009

`Can Turkey wish away the Armenians and their past, by denying
historical facts? The answer is no,’ Lebanese `The Daily Star’ reads,
paralleling the similar problems. The daily underlines, that actions
of Turkish Government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan on “Kurdish
initiative’ give the region a considerable amount of food for
thought.’ The previous Turkish policy is well known: to erase names of
Kurdish villages, to ban the use of Kurdish language in certain
territories and other ideological measures as a part of
`Turkification’ process.
The author supposes that `the old-style policies of ethnic &`cultural
cleansing’ in Palestine, as the obsession with having a Jewish state
has led Israeli officials to introduce measures aimed at erasing the
presence of the Palestinians from their own land.’
`Was it smart of Turkey to reject a recognition of the Kurds, one of
the oldest peoples in the region, and the world’s biggest national
group without a state?’ the daily wonders, adding: `The same goes for
the Israelis’ attempts to eliminate the presence of the Palestinians,
as well as the calls by some to eliminate the Jewish presence in the
Middle East.’
The newspaper refers to the situation in North Africa, speaking of
Berbers as well as Iraq which `provides an example of non-state actors
targeting ethnic and religious groups, such as Kurds, Turkmen and
various Christian sects.’
Author of the article considers that Turkish policy of fierce and
tough nationalism proves all these attempts doomed to fail.
However, optimism of the research can be welcomed, just as Erdogan’s
policy on the Kurdish issue. But recalling Armenian issue and
historical facts, Turkey to date advocated negation ideology and there
was not a hint of free will, sincerity and consciousness. But for this
Turkey undoubtedly needs courage, that Turkish Government obviously
had only up to `Kurdish initiative.’

Some $10 million to be invested in Armenian national traffic safety
strategy

YEREVAN, August 21. /ARKA/. Some $10 million is planned to be invested
in Armenian national traffic safety strategy within five years,
Armenian Deputy Transport and Communication Minister Hrant Beglaryan
said Friday at a press conference in Novosti International Press
Centre.

He said $100,000 would be intended for salaries of members of the
traffic safety council’s board.

The World Bank has granted this money to Armenia.

On August 13, Armenian government approved the national traffic safety
strategy and activity program for five years.

The deputy minister said that the strategy has been worked out under
financial support from World Bank and discussed by the government and
NGOs.

He said that the strategy implies a wide range of steps.

`The funds for the strategy are investments, not expenses, since
traffic accidents in Armenia caused AMD 21 billon or about $70 million
in damage’, Beglaryan said.

`If we invest $10 million for five years, we’ll save $35 million over
this period, i.e. $7 million each year.’

In 2008, 407 people were killed and 3,125 injures in car accidents in
Armenia. M.V.-0—

ARMENIAN BOXER KAREN AYLAZYAN ENTERS FINAL OF THE EURO YOUTH CUP

ARMENPRESS
Aug 21, 2009

YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, ARMENPRESS: Armenian boxer Karen Aylazyan beat
Bulgarian Stefan Ivanov in the semi-final of the European Youth Cup
held in the Polish town of Szczecin, entering the final and ensuring
at least silver medal.

In the final Aylazyan will meet with the Russian Grigory Nikolaychuk.

KIRO MANOYAN: "NEITHER SIDE WANTS TO BE THE FIRST TO SAY – NO"
Natasha Harutyunyan

an-6/
2009/08/19 | 15:15

Politics

Kiro Manoyan, who heads the ARF Political Affairs Bureau in Yerevan,
today stated that any talk regarding a possible settlement of the
Karabakh conflict would be pure speculation since there are no specific
indications as to what developments to expect in the near furure.

"The only thing that is clear is that the Minsk Group Co-Chairs
are pulling out all stops to reach an agreement between Armenia and
Azerbaijan on so-called "fundamental principles" by October 14. But the
final draft of these principles will only be ready for submittal to the
parties involved by the end of September. The fact that official Baku
has not once stated that it would abide by the will of the people if
it chose to remain outside the territorial jurisdiction of Azerbaijan,
is enough basis to declare that the sides will not agree on these
fundamental principles. I’d say that neither side wishes to say ‘yes’
to the principles but that neither side wants to be the first to say
‘no’.

October 14 is the date of the next football match between the
national teams of Armenia and Turkey, scheduled to take place
in Turkey. Mr. Manoyan believes that the mediators are trying to
satisfy Turkey’s precondition that it will not normalize relations
with Yerevan until a deal is reached on Karabakh. The ARF official
stated that Ankara effectively froze any progress on normalizing
relations with Yerevan after the April 22 "Joint Statement".

"We can expect a fairly heated political atmosphere in the coming
weeks. In the end, Yerevan must formulate a final position regarding
the fundamental principles. I think that the sides will not come to
an agreement by October 14. However, we must wait and see who will
be the first to say ‘no’," Mr. Manoyan said.

Mr. Manoyan added that that he finds it realistic for Armenia to
declare that it is Turkey that has scuttled the talks by placing
this Karabakh precondition and that Ankara has altered the rules
in mid-stream.

"Armenia must declare this to be the case because it is equally
important for Turkey to show the world that there is a process
underway, that it is talking to Armenia and that there is no need for
others to intervene. Armenia must declare that this is not the case,"
he said, adding that he didn’t think President Sargsyan would make
the trip to Turkey in October.

Regarding the recent statement by U.S. Minsk Group Co-Chair Matthew
Bryza that the bargaining position of Armenia was stronger ten years
ago, Mr. Manoyan commented that Bryza often makes false statements
in an effort to impact on Armenian politics.

"I’d agree that Bryza is a skilled diplomat but his statement is
incorrect. There is a clause in these principle that didn’t exist back
when Levon Ter-Petrosyan was president; namely that the final status
of Karabakh will be based on the will of the people," he concluded.

RICHARD GIRAGOSIAN EXPOSES NEW CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

News.am
11:41 / 08/19/2009

In a statement released on August 14, the Turkish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs responded to recent statement made by Dirdctor of the
Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) Richard
Giragosian. Giragosian was quoted by the Armenian media as saying that
a "secret agreement" between Turkey and Russia was signed granting
Russia access through Turkish airspace to resupply Russian miliotary
base #102 in the northern Armenian city of Gyumri. The report was also
widely disseminated, as the Azerbaijani "Trend" news agency printed
a statement on August 15 released by the Turkish Embassy in Baku that
refuted the "information about arms shipments to the Russian military
base in Armenia via Turkish airspace." The Turkish Embassy in Baku
released an official statement to the Azerbaijani media claiming that
"such information is a step towards breaking friendship and fraternity
of Turkey and Azerbaijan."

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin criticized
Giragosian’s comments in an interview with the Turkish "Hurriyet"
daily newspaper, stating that "it’s an obvious provocation aimed at
breaking friendly relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan."

As the official Turkish spokesman did not deny the essence of
Giragosian’s comments, his comments sparked heated calls by leading
Turkish opposition newspapers demanding that Turkey should immediately
break off negotiations with Russia. The "Milliyet" daily, for example,
argued that "Russian arms supplied to Armenia will be used against
Azerbaijan," adding that "assisting (the) Russian military base is
out of the question."

In subsequent comments on this issue, ACNIS Director Richard Giragosian
noted that "the fact that the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs felt
compelled to officially respond to my comments reported in the Armenian
media only reveals the lack of trust inherent in Turkish-Russian
relations and further demonstrates the weakness of Turkish foreign
policy regarding its engagement of Armenia." He also said that the
incident "questions the sincerity of Turkey’s earlier promises to
forge new relations with Armenia, including a commitment to end
its blockade of Armenia and to address the legacy of the Armenian
genocide." Giragosian explained that "the burden is now on Turkey,
as the international community is now becoming increasingly impatient
with what appears to be Turkey’s indecisiveness and lack of good will
toward Armenia."

Giragosian also stressed that "even if Turkey decides to reopen the
border with Armenia and to extend diplomatic relations with Armenia,
such moves should not be misinterpreted as any kind of gift or
reward to Armenia, as such minimal steps merely represent the basic
requirements for civilized countries." He concluded by reiterating the
fact that "although there is still at least some degree of optimism,
it is Turkey that is in danger of missing a strategic opportunity to
move forward with Armenia."

THE PARTICIPANTS OF "ARI TUN" ATTENDED THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH

Aysor.am
18.08.2009, 17:04

Sixty Diaspora Armenians from Russia, Georgia, Iran, France, the USA,
and Germany, the participants of the program "Ari Tun", organized by
the Ministry of Diaspora of RA, attended the St. Echmiadzin Cathedral,
where they met the head of Christian Studies center priest Vardan
Navasardyan.

The informative body of the Cathedral Church informs, that after his
greeting speech St Hayr referred to the problem of preserving Armenia,
emphasizing the importance of the relationship with the motherland,
the loyalty to the Armenian Apostolic Church, the knowledge of the
Armenian Language, and the importance of youth taking part in this.

After the meeting the young people visited the museums of the
Cathedral Church.

COME HOME PROGRAM’S PARTICIPANTS NOT HAVING LEFT YET WISH TO RETURN TO HOMELAND, THEIR RESPONSES PROVE IT

Noyan Tapan
Aug 18, 2009

YEREVAN, AUGUST 18, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Ministry of Diaspora’s Come
Home program will work until 2009 November and over 500 Diasporan
Armenian young people will take part in program’s two-week stages. RA
Deputy Minister of Diaspora Stepan Petrosian informed journalists
on August 15 at the Artsakh Press Club. Summing up the end of the
Come Home program’s second stage, the Deputy Minister mentioned with
satisfaction that Diasporan Armenian young people leave the homeland
with bright impressions, see Armenia’s sights, visit museums and
picture galleries, participate in Armenian folk dances and native
studies courses, light candles in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
and as Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobian says, infected with the
virus "Armenia" they return to their countries with the wish to visit
the Homeland again.

According to the Deputy Minister, this program has a goal to
encourage repatriation, and the evaluations of program’s two stages’
participants has already made it clear that they are inspired with
program’s results, the evidence of which is also the letters of thanks
sent by many of them.

Answering a correspondent’s question of whether in 14 days Armenian
young people manage to get acquainted with real Armenia, Deputy
Minister Stepan Petrosian stressed that they live in families of
Yerevan residents, get acquainted with daily life of residents of
Armenia, walk by streets and naturally, see both the good and the
bad. And, according to them, the good predominated over the bad. "No
one presents a perfect Armenia to them, but instead we give them the
love and warmth they will find nowhere," the Deputy Minister said.

Program’s second stage will start on August 18. Over 60 Armenian young
people arriving from various countries will again take part in it.

At correspondents’ request Mr Petrosian also touched upon all
Armenian programs implemented by the Ministry of Diaspora, in
particular, mentioned the fact of creation of an association
and a cooperation network between Armenian architects living and
working in various countries as a result of the All Armenian Forum
of Architects, elaboration and implementation of joint projects,
including presentation of a joint architectural project to EXPO 2010,
competition of a project of a construction by modern architecture in
the territory of the Youth Palace, issue of retraining young Armenian
architects, placing two sculptures of renowned French Armenian sculptor
Torosi Rastekelenian in Yerevan.

And in response to the question of with what results the Ministry sums
up its first anniversary that will be marked on October 1, the Deputy
Minister said that in that connection Minister Hranush Hakobian has
planned a special press conference, during which the work done in the
past months will be summed up. A schedule of events has been already
worked out, a collection of Armenia-Diaspora official materials and
the Diaspora chronicle are being prepared for publication, which will
sum up Ministry’s one-year activity.

WHO HACKS WEBSITES?

ountry&pid=14942
16:13:03 – 17/08/2009

Over the past week there has been an unprecedented number of hacking
of Armenian sites by Azerbaijani hackers. It is an offensive on the
Armenian state because mainly government sites were hacked, says
Samvel Martirosyan, expert on information security.

The expert says, it is bad for the image. Some ministries, such as
the ministry of economy, would not admit that their website has been
hacked. It is not a shame when a website is hacked, it is a shame to
hide it and do nothing about it, Samvel Maritirosyan says.

The spokesman said not only the Azerbaijani but also Turkish hackers
attack although it is not always the case. In some cases it may be
a group of Armenian hackers or the Russian special services.

If we consider the world experience, these attacks by Azerbaijan
are like military exercise. Usually before wars the sides first
try to take the so-called information heights. On the one hand,
this is good for Armenia because we also can see the week sides,
Samvel Martirosyan says.