Author: Tvankchian Parkev

SASSOUNIAN: TURKISH PRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN COUNCIL SHOULD BE BARRED FROM ARMENIA
Harut Sassounian

Armenian Weekly
Mon, May 17 2010

Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish President of PACE (Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe), offended his hosts by refusing to lay a
wreath at the Armenian Genocide Monument during his visit to Yerevan
last week.

When the Armenian media questioned him about his refusal, Cavusoglu
lied by saying that his predecessors had not done so either. Armenian
journalists corrected him by pointing out that his predecessors
had in fact visited the Genocide Monument. After getting caught,
he changed his tune and confessed that it was his personal decision
not to visit the Monument and asked that Armenians respect his wishes.

Why should Armenians respect a genocide denier and a liar? Although a
founder of the ruling Justice and Development Party and member of the
Turkish Parliament, Cavusoglu was not visiting Armenia as a Turkish
official, but as President of PACE. It is regrettable that earlier this
year Armenia’s delegates to PACE were not successful in blocking his
election to the Presidency of this influential European institution.

The real issue is not Cavusoglu’s ethnic background. No one should be
disqualified from any post due to his or her ethnicity. The objections
are based on his long-standing opposition to Armenian issues, including
denials of the Armenian Genocide and support for Azerbaijan in the
Artsakh conflict.

Upon learning that Cavusoglu would not visit the Genocide Memorial-a
standard protocol for all high-ranking dignitaries visiting Yerevan-the
Armenian government decided to downgrade the status of his visit from
"official" to that of a "working" one. Needless to say, this was just
a slap on the wrist, given the gravity of his offense.

Regrettably, Armenian officials did not issue a single word of
criticism or condemnation. They should have taken a harsher measure
against Cavusoglu and cancelled his trip to Yerevan. By not enforcing
the country’s long established protocol, Armenian officials are simply
encouraging future visiting dignitaries not to respect the memory of
Armenian Genocide victims.

A bad precedent was already set in September 2008, when Pres. Gul was
invited to Yerevan. I wrote a column then urging Armenian authorities
to ask the Turkish President to lay a wreath at the Genocide Monument.

Unfortunately, no such request was made of Pres. Gul, and he was more
than happy to sidestep the issue!

I must commend the Armenian Revolutionary Federation for refusing to
meet with Cavusoglu during his Yerevan visit, because of his disrespect
for Armenian Genocide victims. His visit was also condemned by the
local Student Union of the Hnchag Party.

Unfortunately, officials of an opposition party met Cavusoglu in
Yerevan to pursue their own agenda, asking him-a Turk-to condemn the
Armenian government’s human rights record. Meanwhile, pro-government
parties met Cavusoglu to familiarize him with Armenia’s position on
major regional issues, as if he would be willing to change his views
on the Armenian Genocide, Artsakh and Armenian-Turkish relations.

Regardless of his own and his government’s denialist position on the
Armenian Genocide, Cavusoglu should not be excused for not having
visited the Genocide Monument. Even Ambassadors of countries that do
not formally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide take part in the solemn
procession on April 24 and lay a wreath at the Genocide Monument.

By refusing to follow protocol, Cavusoglu not only insulted the
Armenian nation, but also violated the long-standing recognition of
the Armenian Genocide by the European Parliament.

In the end, by his words and deeds, the Turkish diplomat managed to
embarrass himself and undermine his own credibility as a political
figure unworthy of representing a prominent European institution and
its values.

To avoid similar scandals in the future, Armenian officials must
contact foreign dignitaries in advance of their planned visits and
impress upon them the importance of respecting Armenia’s established
protocol on laying a wreath at the Genocide Monument. Should they
refuse, their visit should be promptly canceled. Can anyone imagine
a foreign dignitary visiting Jerusalem and refusing to lay a wreath
at the Yad Vashem memorial for Holocaust victims? He or she would
not be allowed to set foot in Israel again. The Armenian government
should take a similar stand vis-a-vis the Armenian Genocide Memorial!

At the end of his first visit to Armenia, Cavusoglu announced that
he would be back in Yerevan in October. I hope Armenian officials
do not let him into the country, unless he is prepared to respect
Armenia’s established protocols for all foreign dignitaries.

If Armenian officials do not insist on applying their own rules and
regulations, foreign dignitaries would have no reason to comply!

KARABAKH CAN’T BE PART OF AZERBAIJAN, SAYS ARMENIAN SPEAKER

Aysor
May 18 2010
Armenia

Nagorno Karabakh can’t be part of Azerbaijan, and the most important
issues to Armenia are the status of Nagorno Karabakh and security of
its people, a spokesperson to the Armenian Parliament quoted Speaker
Hovik Abrahamian as saying at the meeting with Czech Prime Minister
Jan Fischer.

Hovik Abrahamian thanked the Czech side for neutral position over
the Karabakh conflict, and said the Armenian authorities stand for
peaceful settlement to the conflict within the activities by the OSCE
Minsk Group.

Jan Fischer, in his part said that the conflict’s settlement must be
offered within the framework of the Minsk Group.

207 INDIVIDUALS DIED OF AIDS IN ARMENIA

A1Plus.am
17/05/10

Every 14 seconds, a child is orphaned by AIDS. Two million people
died of AIDS all over the world in 2008.

On May 16, hundreds of candles were lit in Yerevan’s Lovers Park to
commemorate AIDS victims. The event was organized by Yerevan group of
Y-PEER with the assistance of United Nations Population Fund. Local
volunteers distributed booklets to passers-by informing on AIDS.

A candlelight memorial takes place in 85 countries on the third
Sunday in May every year. The purpose is to honor all those affected
by the AIDS pandemic, as well as to educate about HIV/AIDS, influence
local and national policy makers, and create community dialogue about
HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment.

The memorial began in 1983 in San Francisco, United States.

It is a few years Armenia has joined the event campaigning for HIV/AIDS
awareness in the world. 842 AIDS carriers have been recorded in Armenia
since 1988 with 60 percent falling into the 25-39-age category. 207
individuals died of AIDS in the country including 35 women and four
children.

IRAN AGREES A DEAL TO SEND URANIUM ABROAD FOR ENRICHMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 17, 2010 – 14:40 AMT 09:40 GMT

Iran has agreed a deal to send uranium abroad for enrichment after
mediation talks with Turkish and Brazilian leaders, BBC reports.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it was ready to ship 1,200kg of
low-enriched uranium to Turkey, in return for nuclear fuel for a
research reactor.

The plan could revive a UN-backed proposal and may ward off another
round of sanctions.

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is calling on world leaders for
new talks. He said it was time for talks "with Iran based on honesty,
justice and mutual respect".

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brazil’s President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were
at the talks in Tehran.

"Turkey will be the place to keep Iran’s 3.5% [low-enriched] uranium,"
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told a news
briefing after the deal was signed.

He said that 1,200kg would be exchanged and that Iran would notify
the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency,
"within a week".

How can Armenia equal with Africa by tax collection level?
To convince Armenian citizens of big business transparency is an
overwhelming task.

The RA State Revenue Committee overfulfilled the tax collection plan
in the first quarter of 2010. More than AMD 126.7bn entered the
national budget instead of the planned AMD 116.9bn, thus ensuring a
19% growth as compared with the same period of 2009.

April 12, 2010
PanARMENIAN.Net –

IMF resident representative in Armenia Guillermo Tolosa has darkened
such `bright’ statistical data, declaring that the ratio of tax
collection level to GDP in Armenia is lower than in African countries.
The IMF representative regretted to say that RA government’s measures
aiming to improve the tax administration system did not give a
desirable result and some reforms proceeded slower than expected. In
particular, IMF shared the concern of the authorities on the low level
of big business tax collection and advised the RA State Revenue
Committee controlling big taxpayers to work more actively.

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said that he fully agrees to
the criticism that the government does not properly control big
business, which also impedes development of small and medium-sized
businesses in the country. He also voiced anxiety that the burden of
tax commitments fell on SMBs and not big business and confessed that a
number of measures undertaken by the government for two years have not
produced satisfactory results.

As of April 1, 2010, the RA Ministry of Finance has already introduced
the list of 285 large taxpayers, whose annual profit exceeded AMD1bn
in 2009. The conclusion of the independent external audit on those
taxpayers’ activities will be published for the first time in this
connection. The publication will enable the public to watch the
activities of these economic entities as well as activities of
country’s state structures `so that no minister or MP will not have
his own business.’

As a matter of fact, no minister or MP runs his own business in
Armenia, but their `second aunts’ own big companies. So, to convince
Armenian citizens of big business transparency is an overwhelming
task.

Hripsime Hayrapetyan / PanARMENIAN News

Nuclear deal caps Medvedev’s visit to Turkey

l/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2010/05/14/featu re-02
14/05/2010

A trip to Turkey by Russia’s president yields a landmark deal on
building Turkey’s first nuclear power plant. But critics say the deal
will create even greater energy dependency on Moscow.

By Erol Izmirli for Southeast European Times in Istanbul — 14/05/10

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (left) and Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands at a joint press conference Wednesday
(May 12th). [Getty Images]

After more than a year of negotiations, Turkey and Russia have
concluded a deal to build a nuclear power plant on Turkey’s southern
coast. The project could cost as much as $20 billion.

The agreement between Russia’s state-owned Atomstroyexport and the
Turkish government was signed on Wednesday (May 12th), midway through
Russian President Dimitry Medvedev’s two-day trip to Ankara and
Istanbul.

"It’s an extremely important contract for us," Russian nuclear agency
chief Sergei Kiriyenko told reporters. "This will be the first case in
which Russia not only builds a power plant, as we have in Iran and
India, but will also own it," he added.

Atomstroyexport will be in charge of building the plant’s four
reactors, in the eastern Mediterranean town of Akkuyu, in Mersin
province. Construction will take an estimated seven years to complete.
The reactor builder will own 100% of the project and may later sell as
much as 49% to investors.

Turkey’s leaders are hailing the deal — which must be endorsed by
parliament — as a milestone in efforts to develop nuclear power. They
say it will be presented to lawmakers within a week to ten days.

"Let me be frank: We [have been] trying to enter the nuclear business
for the last 40 years but unfortunately we do not know how to do it,"
Energy Minister Taner Yıldız told reporters on the sidelines of a
conference in Istanbul.

"We have to see the big picture. Previous tenders were cancelled fours
times by the court. We believe in the need of nuclear energy for
Turkey and are confident that we will be successful in this," he said.

The plans, however, have drawn strong criticism from civic and
environmental organisations. The Chamber of Electrical Engineers (EMO)
is questioning the terms and has warned the deal could actually
increase Turkey’s energy dependence on Moscow.

"Full authority of the to-be-built nuclear power plant belongs to
Russia. This agreement will not make Turkey a hub of nuclear
technology as the government suggests; it will make us more dependent
on Russia," the chamber said in a statement Thursday.

With nearly 65% of Turkey’s natural gas coming from Russia, critics
say Moscow could use its role as energy supplier as a political tool.

According to the EMO, the cost of electricity from the planned nuclear
power plant will be significantly higher than the global market
averages. "We’ll have to pay nearly $51 billion to the Russians over
15 years for 415 billion kilowatts of electricity," the organisation
said.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace Turkey said the government ignored opposition
from local Mersin residents, academics and NGOs. "It’s a very
undemocratic process," the group said.

TRANSDNESTRIAN SECURITY MINISTRY DISSEMINATED ERNEST VARDANYAN’S SELF-CONFESSIONAL VIDEO FOOTAGE

Tert.am
15:41 12.05.10

The Ministry of Security of Moldovan breakaway region of Transdnestria
has prepared and released a video footage of the testimony by the
Transdnestria-based Armenian national journalist Ernest Vardanyan
who admitts to have collaborated with the Moldovan special services.

The footage was broadcast by the public TV of Transdnestria and can
be reached at Dniester.ru.

Ernest Vardanyan was arrested near his home in Tiraspol on April 7
by the Transdnestrian state secrete services. He is accused of high
treason and according to Article 271 of the Transdnestrian Criminal
Code he can face 12-20 years in prison if found guilty.

On May 11 a group of Armenian bloggers gathered in front of the
building of the Russian embassy in Armenia today protesting against
the arrest of the Transdnestria-based Armenian national journalist
Ernest Vardanyan.

Earlier Vardanyan’s relatives had sent letters to the Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin asking to help them
have Vardanyan released.

A TWO DAY CONFERENCE ON IN TSAKHKADZOR

Aysor
May 12 2010
Armenia

In all regions of Armenia exist branches of Armenian writers union.

Today in Tsakhkadzor was opened the annual conference of the regional
writers.

As Levon Ananyan, the head of the Union of the Armenian Writers
mentioned the writers each year gather in Tsakhkadzor to discuss
different literary issues.

"The literary life is concentrated in Yerevan we try to spread it
in all the regions. We have a rather representative power in Gyumri
and Vanadzor," mentioned Levon Ananyan and added that each year they
analyze the work implemented by the regional branches.

"Traditionally we have two sessions, today we are summing up, and
tomorrow the heads of the branches must discuss their spring plans,"
L. Ananyan said and hoped that the usual two day conference will give
its positive result.

MOSCOW, ANKARA INTENT TO COOPERATE OVER NAGORNO-KARABAKH ISSUE

Panorama.am
12/05/2010

Moscow and Ankara are intent to cooperate over establishingstability
in the region of Caucasus and particularly, Nagorno-Karabakh issue,
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told a joint press conference with
his Turkish counterpart in Ankara Wednesday, according to RIA Novosti.

"Both Russia and Turkey are interested in reinforcing stability in the
Caucasus region and we [Russia] will move the process forward, will
use all the opportunities, authority and influence," Medvedev said.

The Canadian Press – ONLINE EDITION
Former Armenian wrestling champ found guilty of kidnapping business
associate in California
By: The Associated Press
10/05/2010 11:46 PM | Comments: 0

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – A former Armenian wrestling champion has been
convicted of kidnapping a man, beating him and demanding a $1 million
ransom.
A federal jury in Los Angeles found Vagan Adzhemyan guilty on
Monday. His first trial last year ended with a mistrial after the jury
deadlocked.
The 42-year-old Adzhemyan admitted kidnapping Sandro Karmryan, beating
him, shocking him with a stun gun, holding him captive for days and
demanding a $1 million ransom from his family. Authorities say the
kidnapping conspiracy ended with a police rescue of the near-death
victim.
The Armenian-born Adzhemyan argued his actions were necessary because
Karmryan was plotting to have him killed because he knew about an
alleged loan scam.
Adzhemyan was a champion wrestler in Armenia and the Soviet Union in
the 1980s.
His friend Galvin Gibson also was convicted in the plot.
___
Information from: Los Angeles Times,

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