Author: Torgomian Varazdat

200 ATHLETES IN RHODE ISLAND FOR ARMENIAN YOUTH OLYMPICS

Providence Journal
Sept 4 2009

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — More than 200 youth athletes from around the
country began converging on Rhode Island Friday to participate in the
76th annual Armenian Youth Federation Olympics at various locations
this weekend.

Open to those between the ages of 16 and 28, the event is expected
to draw as many as 3,000 visitors, according to Stephen Mesrobian,
who is in charge of the hotel committee.

Beginning with golf and tennis tournaments that took place Friday
morning and a swimming meet at Seekonk High School at 5 Friday
afternoon, the five-day event will also include a softball tournament
and a picnic at the Masonic Youth Grounds, 116 Long St., Warwick,
starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, and a series of track and field events,
with opening ceremonies at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday at Cranston High
School West, 80 Metropolitan Ave., Cranston.

There also will be four dances, all open to the public, at the Rhode
Island Convention Center — an AYF Alumni reception Friday from 8
p.m. to 1 a.m., an AYF dance Friday night from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., a
dance Saturday from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. and a Sunday night Grand Ball
featuring music from an AYF Olympic All-Star Band from 8 p.m. to 2
a.m. Tickets for the Friday and Saturday night dances are $20 each,
and $25 for the Sunday ball.

Mesrobian said athletes of Armenian descent will be here from as
far away as California, and it’s possible there will be participants
from Armenia.

Rhode Island will have nearly 60 athletes competing.

"This is the 11th time we’ve hosted the Olympics, and we have a
long and proud tradition," Mesrobian said. "Providence has won 37
championships in the last 75 years."

3+2=4
NAIRA HAYRUMYAN

rahos||society&pid=15071
16:47:38 – 03/09/2009

Yesterday all the Armenian TV channels showed live shots from
Stepanakert, presenting the four Armenian presidents celebrating the
majority of Karabakh. It is noteworthy that they showed only shots
with the presidents, a football match, new home, the feeling was as
if only the presidents had their merit. And not those on whose silent
graves they put flowers.

At the same day, answering questions of journalists in Yerevan,
the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs tried to explain what he
understands by the concept of Lachin corridor – a border or a path. He
did not give clear explanations, noting that it is only to ensure
uninterrupted communication between Armenia and Karabakh. That is,
it is not even a road. Maybe next year, Serge Sargsyan will be advised
you not to go to Karabakh through Lachin but on the plane.

What did the presidents celebrate in Stepanakert? The good-natured
Stepanakert residents were smiling at seeing the presidents of Armenia
and Karabakh, marveling at the arithmetic of 3 +2 = 4. Then they turned
away and put flowers on the graves of their relatives and friends.

ALEXANDER MANASYAN: NKR WAS FORMED ON LANDS NOT BELONGING TO AZERBAIJAN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
04.09.2009 15:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Baku has no legal argument to support its claims
for Karabakh, Head of Academy of Political Research NGO Alexander
Manasyan told a news conference in Yerevan. "Unfortunately, Armenian
side possesses no information on the legal aspects of Karabakh
conflict. Media do not have full understanding of the problem
either. Baku currently cannot submit any document to argue its claims
for NKR, a state that was formed on lands not belonging to Azerbaijan,"
Armenian expert said. Madrid Principles, according to him, do not
contain any pro-Armenian clause, however, Armenian side possesses
all legal arguments to introduce them in the positive light.

Political scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan noted in turn that in
1992, NK Supreme Council applied to UN Security Council, informing it
that Karabakh was going to resort to self-defense against Azerbaijani
aggression. "Thereafter, UN Security Council passed 4 Resolutions
on Karabakh. None of them defines Armenia as conflicting party
participating in war. And Baku currently declares that Armenia
is a state aggressor under all those document," expert said. "If
Armenians did not live on those lands for 10 years, that doesn’t
mean anything. Present-day border with Azerbaijan, although not fair,
is safe," Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan stated.

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT TURKEY KEEPS ITS PROMISE: AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL

Today.Az
cs/55246.html
Sept 3 2009
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan hopes that in talks with Armenia Turkey will not take
steps contradicting Azerbaijan’s national interests, Azerbaijani
Presidential Administration International Relations Department Chief
Novruz Mammadov said.

He said it is possible to achieve progress in resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict before the Turkey-Armenia border is reopened.

"Baku keeps close eye on ongoing processes between Turkey and Armenia
and hopes that Ankara would not take steps contrary to national
interests of Azerbaijan."

Mammadov recalling the statement Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan made
during his visit to Baku in May noted that Ankara has expressed its
position clearly: borders with Armenia will not reopen without a
progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"In the ongoing negotiations the Turkish side has shown strong,
specific and harsh stance. The documents were signed because Armenia
armed forces have occupied Azerbaijani lands. Borders will reopen
only after the conflict is resolved. Whatever statements Armenian
leadership makes, the whole world knows that the borders are closed
because of the Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani lands."

Novruzov said Baku was aware of beginning of discussion between Turkey
and Armenia. "This issue was discussed last week during a telephone
conversation between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President
Ilham Aliyev and Azerbaijan has once again stated its position."

"We state only that reopening of the Armenia-Turkey border is contrary
to Azerbaijan’s interests. Turkey’s interests are close to the national
interests of Azerbaijan," he said.

Mammadov also expressed his attitude to statements that beginning
of negotiations between Turkey and Armenia and the resolution of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict are parallel processes.

"It depends on the negotiation and on conditions made in the
negotiations. I believe before the reopening of borders progress and
a certain agreement can be achieved a in conflict resolution. The
bottom line is that opening of borders does not contradict interests
of Azerbaijan and that progress will be reached in resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It is essential that the Turkish side
keeps its promise," Mammadov added.

BORDYUZHA: POSITIVE ENDING OF THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY WILL DO GOOD FOR THE ENTIRE CAUCASUS

ArmInfo
2009-09-03 14:24:00

ArmInfo. Positive ending of the dialogue between Armenia and Turkey
will do good for the entire Caucasus, Secretary General of Collective
Security Treaty Organization [CSTO] Nikolay Borsyuzha said today’s
Yerevan-Moscow video press-conference.

‘If the Armenian-Turkish dialogue ends and specific arrangements are
made, tension is reduced and inter-action of the states isrestored,
this will do good to the whole Caucasus. The started dialogue and the
arrangement to sign two documents – is already a breakthrough and a
step forward’, – he said.

On August 31 the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey agreed
to start their internal political consultations on the two protocols –
the "Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations" and the
"Protocol on the development of bilateral relations" – which have been
initiated in the course of their efforts under Swiss mediation. Earlier
on April 22 the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Armenia, the Republic of Turkey and the Swiss Federal Department of
Foreign Affairs made a Joint Statement on identification of "roadmap".

ANKARA ACTUALLY CHOSE ARMENIA AND THE WORLD COMMUNITY AS PARTNERS
Karine Ter-Sahakyan

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.09.2009 GMT+04:00

The ethnic policy of Turkey is as follows: the borderland is mostly
inhabited with Kurds, while, all the villages located straight at
the Armenian boundary are populated exclusively with Turks.

The President of Armenia will, all the same, attend the football
match in Turkey, what was to be expected. Publication of the Protocols
with mandatory time frames put Turkey in a very difficult position,
and to some extent Armenia gained her end, without stepping back from
her stance on the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations with no
preconditions. It is exactly what is most important at this time. No
less important is the fact that the Protocols contain nothing on the
Karabakh conflict and the Armenian Genocide.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ But in this case we are more interested
in Azerbaijan’s position, which can be briefly described as
stupor. According to some fragmentary information, Baku politicians
are now in confusion: Ankara has actually chosen Armenia and the
world community as partners, having accurately calculated that under
such circumstances it is better to strive for regional leadership
rather than to be held hostage to the short-sighted policy of Ilham
Aliyev. And though the choice in favor of Armenia is made under the
pressure of circumstances, the good point is that despite everything
it is made. Baku has finally realized that Karabakh is never going to
belong to Azerbaijan in spite of the continuous statements of Ilham
Aliyev. In principle, Aliyev can now do nothing but "calm down" his
people after decades of lies, claiming that very soon the Armenians
will return all the 7 regions and NKR into the bargain… Everything
ended on August 31, 2009. In this regard we may assume that Armenian
diplomacy won another round, but it is still too early to declare the
final victory. Diplomatic relations will be established, the border
will be opened, but Turkey will continue to deny the Armenian Genocide
and will attempt to intervene in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, although presently there can be no question on conflict
regulation. There is no conflict as such; it was solved 18 years ago
by the people of NKR and was solved without assistance.

Surely it was not by accident that Russia and the USA recalled their
OSCE Minsk Group mediators in August and appointed no new ones. Does
this mean that the Minsk Group format has already outlived its capacity
and now we need something new that would make Aliyev sign a peace
treaty with Stepanakert? Exclusively with Stepanakert and not with
Armenia as some people still hope in Baku.

But let us revert to the Armenian-Turkish relations, or rather to the
prospects of their normalization. Fear of the Armenian society over the
issue of opening the border is quite reasonable because once the border
is opened a flow of Turkish citizens is expected to pour into Armenia
and become the fifth Kurdish-Turkish colony, which could threaten the
national security of Armenia. Boundary must be opened, no doubt in it,
but there must be some restrictions. For example, the Turkish-Georgian
boundary is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with time restrictions imposed
by the Turkish side. Something similar must be done in our case;
moreover, the initiative must proceed from Yerevan. The population of
Eastern Turkey shows rather a positive attitude towards opening the
border; however, here too Ankara shows her prudence so typical of
her. Such is the ethnic policy of Turkey: the borderland is mostly
inhabited with Kurds, while, all the villages located straight at
the Armenian boundary are populated exclusively with Turks. So
the Kurds, who are looking forward to normal relations with the
Armenians, will inevitably have to confront the Turkish population,
which is not really eager to normalize relations. Nevertheless, Turkey
views the Armenians and the Kurds as potential allies in the struggle
against the central power. Not by chance on the streets of Van do the
gendarmes walk around with sub-machine-guns even in daytime. And not
only in Van. The entire Eastern Turkey, i.e. Western Armenia is like
a cauldron, ready to explode any moment, and the major problem of
Ankara is to prevent such a scenario. Otherwise Turkey will simply
collapse. And it is also one of the reasons why Turkey decided to
take such a step as the establishment of relations with Armenia,
no matter what it may bring about in the future.

OPPOSITION PARTY WANTS REFERENDUM ON TURKISH-ARMENIAN DEAL
Emil Danielyan, Irina Hovannisian

Armenialiberty.org
http://www.azatuty un.am/content/article/1814226.html
Sept 3 2009

Armenia — Raffi Hovannisian, the leader of the opposition Zharangutyun
(Heritage) party.

A major Armenian opposition party on Thursday rejected as sellout the
newly publicized agreements between Armenia and Turkey and demanded
a nationwide referendum on them.

In a written statement, the Zharangutyun (Heritage) party brushed aside
government assurances that the two draft protocols unveiled by Ankara
and Yerevan this week provide for an unconditional normalization of
Turkish-Armenian relations. It argued that Armenia has explicitly
recognized its existing border with Turkey and accepted a Turkish
proposal to jointly study the massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire.

The statement charged that the study would undermine Armenian
efforts at broader international recognition of the mass killings
as genocide. Echoing statements by other government critics, it
also claimed that as part of the Western-backed deal with the Turks
President Serzh Sarkisian agreed to make more concessions to Azerbaijan
in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"This does not stem from the national interests of the Republic of
Armenia," Armen Martirosian, the leader of Zharangutyun’s parliamentary
faction, told RFE/RL. "Instead, it stems from Turkey’s interests. In
essence, Turkey has managed to include all the preconditions, which
it has had right from the beginning, in the protocols."

The Zharangutyun statement said that the party will soon start
collecting signatures in the National Assembly in support of its
referendum demand. Under Armenian law, Zharangutyun needs the backing
of at least two-thirds of the assembly members to force such a vote. It
holds only seven seats in the 131-member parliament dominated by
President Serzh Sarkisian’s supporters.

The statement warned that in case of the failure of the signature
collection the party led by former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian
will stage anti-government protests and join forces with other
political parties opposed to Sarkisian’s Turkish policy. One of those
parties, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun),
has also strongly condemned the Turkish-Armenian agreements.

Dashnaktsutyun holds 16 parliament seats and was a member of
Sarkisian’s governing coalition until recently. Martirosian did
not rule out the possibility of Zharangutyun’s close cooperation
with Dashnaktsutyun on one of the most sensitive issues in Armenian
politics.

The country’s largest opposition force, the Armenian National Congress
(HAK), has responded more positively to the latest developments in
the more than yearlong Turkish-Armenian negotiations. In a statement
issued on Tuesday, the HAK said the disclosed draft protocols mark
"substantial progress" towards Turkish-Armenian reconciliation. It
at the same time denounced the planned creation of a Turkish-Armenian
body tasked with examining the World War One-era massacres.

The HAK’s largely positive official reaction to the deal, which
apparently reflects the views of its top leader Levon Ter-Petrosian,
contrasted with sharp criticism of the government voiced by some top
representatives of the alliance uniting about two dozen opposition
groups. One of them, the Social Democratic Hnchakian Party, on Thursday
disavowed the HAK statement and effectively sided with Zharangutyun
and Dashnaktsutyun on the matter.

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN’S ADDRESS ON THE OCCASION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH INDEPENDENCE DAY

armradio.am
02.09.2009 13:13

President Serzh Sargsyan issued a congratulatory address on the
occasion of the Nagorno Karabakh Independence Day, President’s Press
Office reported. The message reads:

"Dear compatriots,

I congratulate us all on the occasion of Nagorno Karabakh Independence
Day.

Thepast eighteen years reaffirmed the unambiguousness of the historic
decision adopted in 1991. Today, the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh is
a full-fledged state with its structures, army and most importantly,
with the citizens who are the masters of their own destiny.

Today, for us and for the international community Artsakh is a
modern republic which embodies the ideals of freedom, sovereignty
and democracy, and which is progressing despite all the obstacles
and artificially created hindrances and hardships, developing its
economy and culture, and defending peace.

Throughout these years the Republic of Armenia and the entire Armenian
nation have been and will continue to be Artsakh’s sturdy supporters. I
assure all the citizens of Artsakh and all Armenians that the peaceful
resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will be first and foremost
based on the consent and free will of the people of Artsakh.

Dear people of Artsakh, We owe this holiday first of all to those who
stepped into immortality putting their lives on the altar of motherland
and freedom. Bowing to their memory, I once again congratulate you
on this holiday and wish you all well being, happiness and valor."

GOVERNMENT DOES NOT MIND VERIFYING THE AUTHENTICITY
Naira Hayrumyan

Lragir
hp?id=lrahos||politics&pid=15021
17:49:08 – 31/08/2009

The Armenian Prime Minister, Tigran Sargsyan has repeatedly recognized
that the greatest evil for the Armenian economy, and hence for the
state, is the major business, which does not wish to come "out of the
shadows". And in times of crisis the behavior of the major business
has become even more cynical, while reducing turnover by just 1%,
the tax collection from large enterprises decreased by 25%.

The point that we should free from big enterprisers or, in other words,
the oligarchs, assert all the time the European and American partners,
the international financial organizations hint, as well as the home
opposition. So, at a time when there are no elections, the oligarchs
indeed become a headache for the authorities. Moreover, they know too
much about the election. So, no one, except the oligarchs will be sad
if suddenly someone of them will start to roll the barrel "from above".

And such an occasion presented itself. The opposition gave into the
hands of government a paper, which clearly shows that on March 1,
the underlings of the oligarchs included in the "list" took part
in the events of March 1. The prosecutor’s Office issued a not very
convincing rebuttal, without requiring other evidence. The supporters
of the oligarchs outraged. And the top government did not respond,
moreover, it did not resist to the request to verify the authenticity
of the document.

It is possible that the verification will prove that the document
is authentic, and then nothing will be left, but to call for
responsibility those present in the list. This does not threaten the
government, the signature of the present government is not present
under the document.

NEW DISCOUNTS ON THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE

Aysor
Aug 31 2009
Armenia

On the occasion of the new educational year the "South Caucasian
railway" CJSC announces 50% discount for the students traveling by
Yerevan – Armavir – Yerevan direction.

Armavir – Yerevan – Armavir electrical train launched on July 10 for
the first time. According to the timetable in that region the clock
electric train is functioning which is moving from the main station
of Yerevan 4 times in a day at 6:10, 11:30, 15:30 and 19:00, and from
Armavir to Yerevan at 8:12, 13:42, 18:02 and 22:02. The ticket price
is 300 drams. It’s taking 52 minutes from one point to another.

According to Head of the SCR Directorate of Passenger Transportation
Samvel Ghalechyan "This is the special feast gift of SCR the aim of
which is to promote the educational and social system’s development of
the Republic. This practice is used in the whole world, and we are not
an exception.", reported the public relations department of the SCR.