Author: Vatche Chakhmakhchian

Photo: AFP

 

French ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy has been knocked out of the contest for a centre-right presidential candidate and signalled his withdrawal from politics, the BBC reports.

Admitting defeat, Mr Sarkozy endorsed Francois Fillon, a moderate who finished first in Sunday’s first round, according to near-complete results.

Alain Juppe, who like Mr Fillon is an ex-prime minister, finished second.

They will face each other in a run-off next Sunday. The winner will compete in next year’s presidential election.

The winner of the Republican primary is likely to make the presidential run-off, where he or she will probably face far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

The exterior walls of the Bomonti Mkhitarian Armenian School of Istanbul were vandalized with anti-Armenian graffiti recently. “One night, we suddenly will be in Karabagh,” read the graffiti in Turkish, reported Istanbul’s Agos bilingual newspaper, the reports.

On Nov. 15, former Republican People’s Party (CHP) Member of Parliament Aykan Erdemir shared an image of the vandalized wall on social media with the caption: “Hate graffiti on the walls of Istanbul’s Bomonti Mkhitarian school. Third Armenian school targeted [in] the last three months.”

The person or persons responsible for the crime have not yet been identified.

“We’re not afraid, we’re not going anywhere,” read a part of a statement that the Istanbul based Nor Zartonk movement published on social media on Nov. 16.

The vandalism of the Bomonti Mkhitarian School walls comes about three months after the walls of the Uskudar Surp Khach Seminary and two months after the walls of the Uskudar Kalfayan School were defaced with anti-Armenian graffiti.

US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick hopes the Presidents of Armenia will meet to continue discussions on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Speaking to reporters in Yerevan, Ambassador Warlick outlined the objectives of the mediators’ visit to the region.

“First, we’re glad that the ceasefire has been generally observed since the outbreak of large-scale military actions in April, but there have been casualties. Even one casualty is too much, and we want to talk to the parties about the casualties and the tension along the line of contact and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,” Warlick said.

Second, he said, the mediators aim to follow up on the implementation of the decisions made during the summit meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg. “Third, our mission as mediators is to work towards lasting peace that the people of the region deserve. I hope the dialogue will continue on the highest level. We do hope the Presidents will meet to continue the discussions,” the US diplomat said.

Amb. Warlick said the Helsinki Final Act is acceptable to all parties and the future peace deal will be based on three principles – the right of peoples to self-determination, territorial integrity and non-use of force or the threat of force.

Spekaing about the outcomes of the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg, Warlick said an important decision was to expand the OSCE observer mission under the direction of Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

Speaking about Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement on provision of autonomy to Nagorno Karabakh, James Warlick said the “the issue of status should be a subject of full and frank discussion not only privately between the Presidents, but also the peoples.” “Positions of the parties may differ, but the issue should be put on discussion. We welcome President Aliyev’s statement not because it is the last word, but because he put the issue up for a discussion,” Warlick said.

Asked whether it was possible for the people of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan to live peacefully side-by-side, the Co-Chair said: “It’s my dream and the dream of the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan that both parties live side-by side in peace and security as they once did. We want to redouble our efforts to bring a comprehensive settlement acceptable to both parties. Supporting people-to-people contacts is an important element of our work.”

Referring to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent statement that there are no conditions for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict at this point, Amb. Warlick said “Secretary Kerry is committed to bringing a negotiated settlement.”

“The US together with the other co-chairs is committed to move forward on the path of negotiations. We believe there is an opportunity. There are proposals on the table we can work on, and we want to see political will from the Presidents to commit themselves to moving forward.”

“All elements of a comprehensive settlement must be on the table and under discussion. No side should chose the elements more convenient to it. There must be a frank discussion on all elements, including the status of Karabakh, the return of refugees and IDPs, the format of an international peacekeeping mission, etc,” James Warlick said. “Nothing is settled, until everything is settled,” he added.

The US Co-Chair attached importance to the expansion of Amb. Kasprzyk’s mission. “Ideally, the agreement reached at the meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg would have been in place by now. One of the purposes of our visit is to talk about the issue. I’m confident we’ll reach the expansion of Kasprzyk’s mission after 20 years, and it will be an important step in the right direction.”

Amb. Warlick said “the most effective way to move forward is for the Presidents to commit themselves to negotiations that will bring a comprehensive settlement. We want to the Presidents to talk to each other, we want political will from the sides to move forward. We’ll help the Presidents to find an early opportunity to meet.”

“Our mission is to facilitate discussions between the Presidents that can lead to a settlement. We cannot do it ourselves. We need goodwill from the Presidents,” James Warlick added.

“I’m absolutely convinced that both Presidents are fully committed to a peaceful settlement, neither side wants war, because they know the high price that will be paid by renewed conflict. We saw it in April and we do not want to see it again. There is no date set for the next meeting, but we are willing to facilitate a meeting whenever needed,” he stated.

“We are there to facilitate and mediate, to put good ideas on the table, but it’s up to the Presidents to decide. There can be no peace imposed on the parties,” the US Co-Chair said.

He said there are no new ideas on the table. “Many of the ideas have been under discussion for years,” James Warlick concluded.

The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta Fra Matthew Festing visited  Tsitsernakaberd today and  laid a wreath at the memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims today. He also planted a fir-tree in the Memory Alley.

 

 

Head the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Hermine Naghdalyan had a meeting with PACE President Pedro Agramunt) on October 12. During the meeting, current issues concerning the Assembly works, the possible developments of the political processes, the cooperation and the procedure of the initiatives in PACE were discussed, Press Service of the National Assembly informs.

According to the tradition, the Assembly Presidents visit member states, and the incumbent PACE President expressed the wish to visit Armenia.

Pedro Agramunt informed about the plans to initiate contacts between the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations and discuss the perspectives of organizing the PACE activities in a more constructive way.

Hermine Naghdalyan stressed the importance of the ongoing processes and new initiatives at PACE. She noted that the Armenian side expects a more unbiased, balanced and impartial approaches from PACE President, which, she said, will contribute to the efficiency of Assembly’s work and the improvement of the atmosphere.

The parties agreed to refer to the issues raised at the meeting during the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly.

Asbarez – A famous saying tells us that “opportunity knocks,” but, sometimes, it uses a cell phone instead.

Two years ago, the widely respected Armenian actor, Levon Sharafyan, received an unusual phone call while relaxing at his home in Glendale, California. An American filmmaker had been searching for him for several weeks and wanted urgently to meet.

That filmmaker was Christopher Chambers, a director casting his first feature film, “Aram, Aram,” a coming-of-age drama set in Little Armenia. Chambers wanted to cast Sharafyan in the Lead Role of his film after seeing Sharafyan in an Armenian television series streamed over the internet.

Despite the fact that “Aram, Aram” would be a low-budget film with a long, difficult schedule and despite the fact that Chambers spoke no Armenian at all, Sharafyan agreed to star in the film.

Long heralded for the range and depth of the roles he inhabits, Sharafyan first gained fame acting on the stage in his hometown of Yerevan. He eventually performed in every Shakespearean Tragedy, touring around the globe from Yerevan to Moscow to Paris to London to Glendale. Sharafyan later became a familiar face in Armenian television and film, starring in over 500 episodes of television and over 30 films.

Of Sharafyan’s decision to act in his film, Chambers said, “Mr. Sharafyan is a famous, well-loved star of both the stage and screen in Armenia, he took a huge risk when he agreed to star in this independent film directed by a no-name American director.”

Boasting a Lead Cast of all Armenian actors, “Aram, Aram” first premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival, receiving critical acclaim for the powerful performances of Sharafyan and his 12 year-old co-star, John Sevag Roohinian.

The Award-Winning film played at film festivals in Montreal, Yerevan, Armenia, Sydney, Australia and many more cities. This Saturday, October 1st, “Aram, Aram” screens at the Glendale International Film Festival at MGN Five-Star Cinemas where it has been nominated for an impressive six awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Sharafyan’s performance.

Upon hearing of his Best Actor Nomination, Sharafyan reflected, “It was a nice surprise for me to learn about it. I am very happy that my work on “Aram, Aram” has been recognized. It is an honor to receive this nomination.”

When asked what he thinks of his own performance in the film, Sharafyan replied with his trademark humility, “I would like to invite all my fans from my favorite city of Glendale to see the film this weekend,” he paused before continuing as a twinkle came to his eyes, ”Let the audience give us their opinion – I value that more.”

On September 28, Edward Nalbandian, the Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia, delivered a lecture entitled “Nagorno-KArabakh: Is Solution Visible” at Stanford University’s Institute for International Studies.

Professors, fellows and students of the Stanford University attended the meeting. In his opening remarks Michael McFaul, the Director of the Institute, mentioned that is a profound honour to launch the series of lectures after the opening of the academic year by hosting the Foreign Minister of Armenia to get first-hand information on the current situation in the process of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

In his speech Edward Nalbandian, particularly, said:
“Ladies and Gentlemen,

One year ago a well-known academic magazine “Politique Internationale”, published in Paris my article entitled Nagorno-Karabakh: Is a Solution Visible?

I stressed in it that the conflict cannot be solved until Azerbaijan gets rid of its illusion that it can gain unilateral advantages through military means. It took only a year to witness the vivid demonstration of that reality.

This April Azerbaijan unleashed a large scale preplanned aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, with the use of offensive weaponry – aviation, heavy artillery, rocket systems, tanks – accompanied by gross violations of international humanitarian law, such as indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, DEASH-style mutilation of bodies and beheadings. It goes without saying that these actions that resulted in hundreds of casualties from all sides, have seriously undermined the negotiation process.

So, it is about a very complex situation that I am going to address you today and the April escalation is only the last act of the long conflict. In a few words I would like to present the essence of the conflict for those who are not much familiar with it and then I will try to address the main issue: what are the prospects of the settlement.

Nagorno-Karabakh – historically one of the regions of Armenia and always having an overwhelming majority of Armenian population was arbitrarily annexed to Soviet Azerbaijan in 1921 by Joseph Stalin.

70 years passed, on the eve of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh voted at the referendum for an independent statehood in line with the then existing legislation and international norms.

Years later on the Kosovo case the International Court of Justice would consider that general international law contains no applicable prohibition of declarations of independence.

However, Azerbaijan in defiance of the international law, its norms and principles which first of all urge to refrain from use of force or threat of use of force, tried to suppress the aspirations of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh for self-determination through coercive measures. It started with Armenian massacres in late 80s – beginning of 90s in Azerbaijani cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad and capital Baku. Many were killed, hundreds of thousands were expelled from their homes. Nobel Peace Prize winner and famous human rights defender Andrei Sakharov on the pages of the New York Times called it a threat of a new genocide of the Armenian people.

Azerbaijan continued with large scale military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh committing new atrocities.

The May 1991 US Senate resolution condemned the attacks on innocent Armenian children, women, and men in and around Nagorno-Karabakh. Previously adopted US Congress resolution reads that the United States supports the fundamental rights and aspirations of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. A similar resolution was adopted by the European Parliament.

During the war against Nagorno-Karabakh Azerbaijan used mercenaries from Afghanistan closely linked to notorious terrorist organizations. That was widely reported in the international media outlets, including the Washington Post. The heavy, indiscriminate use of force, massacres and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Azerbaijan against the Armenian population was yet another confirmation that the struggle of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh was existential and legitimate.

The hot phase of the conflict ended in May 1994 when Azerbaijan was obliged to negotiate a truce due to its military loses and sign a cease fire agreement with Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. In July 1994 and February 1995 new trilateral agreements were signed on consolidation of the cease fire. The terms of these agreements do not expire and they are in force till now. The July 1994 document stipulates to maintain the ceasefire regime until signing of the big political agreement.

However, as a rule Azerbaijan has been regularly violating those agreements. Baku instead of engaging seriously in the negotiation process has concentrated its efforts on military buildup having in mind the illusion of military option for conflict resolution.

A clear case of negotiations at the barrel of a gun. Its military budget reached $4.8 billion in 2015, a 30-fold increase since 2003, when Ilham Aliyev succeeded his father as the Head of State.

We warned – if there is a gun on the stage, it will fire. And that gun fired many times and most recently as I mentioned this April.

Armenia together with the mediators, the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – the USA, France and Russia exert efforts for exclusively peaceful settlement. Several times in this framework parties were close to the resolution, but at the very last moment Azerbaijan made a step back derailing the process. This was the case with Paris principles of 2001, negotiated with active involvement of the then French President Chirac, when President Heydar Aliyev backtracked. Another example was the round of negotiations with active mediation of the then Russian President Medvedev, when at the Kazan summit of 2011, the son Aliyev backtracked again. To mention just two examples.

As you see there has never been a deficit of high-level international interest in solving the issue. Moreover, starting from 2009 the presidents of the U.S.A., Russia and France made five statements on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution. They proposed a package of basic principles, which constitute an integrated whole, as a foundation of future comprehensive agreement. Unlike Azerbaijan, Armenia accepted it as a basis for negotiations.

The Presidents of the Co-Chair countries have proclaimed a rather civilized formula for the settlement – ballots instead of bullets. The proposal stipulates determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not resolved yet, since one of the negotiating parties, namely Azerbaijan is not ready to go along with this proposal and by all means strives to undermine the peace process. The mentality that supports medieval barbarism, demonstrated again in April, can hardly accept the civilized approaches of the modern world.

The leadership of Azerbaijan which adopted a xenophobic, aggressive anti-Armenian stance. Baku frequently uses the slogan – “Armenians of the world are our enemies number one”. History knows such cases of ethnic hatred, including in the recent past, isn’t it? The eleventh year textbook of Azerbaijan’s school reads “Armenians are the generic enemies of the Turkic peoples”. It is the generation raised under such propaganda that committed despicable crimes during the 4 days aggression this April. It is this generation that witnessed the glorification of an Azerbaijani officer who killed by axe a sleeping Armenian officer in Budapest while both were at the NATO training course. Subsequently the murderer was handed over to Azerbaijan where he was proclaimed as a hero and example for youth.

Most of Armenian historic, cultural and religious monuments have been destroyed in Azerbaijan, including a masterpiece of the medieval Armenian art – the cemetery of thousands of cross stones in Jugha. American Ambassadors to Azerbaijan were several times refused by Baku authorities to visit the site. A prominent Azerbaijani novelist was ostracized and persecuted for writing about the Armenian massacres in Azerbaijan and for the calls of reconciliation. All those civil society representatives who have been engaged in people to people contacts with the civil societies in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia were put behind the bars as “Armenian spies”. The leadership of Azerbaijan tries not only to mute the independent voices from within the country but from the outside world as well. More than hundred journalists have been included in the so called Azerbaijani black list just for visiting Nagorno-Karabakh and writing about it. Indeed, as the Washington Post wrote the Azerbaijani leadership not only crushes individual lives but tries to imprison the very concept of freedom itself.

This doesn’t come as a surprise for the state considered to be among the 10 most censored countries in the world.

If there are any proven remedies for conflict settlements then the preparation of the public for peace and not war should stand in the center. This is what the Co-Chairs are continuously urging. Building trust and confidence is another important dimension again strongly encouraged by the international mediators, especially after the April escalation. To restore the trust in the process of the conflict resolution, measures should be taken to prevent use of force and create conditions conducive to the advancement of the peace process.

This was the main aim of the two Summits on Nagorno-Karabakh held in Vienna in May organized by the U.S. Secretary of State and in St. Petersburg in June hosted by the Russian President. First of all, it is a necessity to implement what was particularly emphasized and agreed upon in the framework of these Summits – the full adherence to the 1994-1995 trilateral ceasefire agreements, the creation of mechanism for investigation of ceasefire violations, which can serve also as a mechanism for prevention, the expansion of the capacity of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, which monitors the ceasefire.

These proposals are not new, they have been reiterated by the Co-Chairs many times, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia have accepted them, Azerbaijan rejected. It is interesting to note that House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel together with more than 80 other Congressmen have endorsed these and some other confidence building measures. They urged to publicly condemn specific acts of aggression along the line of contact. Indeed, the party which violates the ceasefire, which rejects the confidence building measure, which refuses the proposals of the mediators should stand accountable. Otherwise impunity will encourage to continue destructive policy. Baku criticizes the Co-Chairs, including the United States for islamophobia, and conspiracy against Azerbaijan, calling the mediators useless tourists.

Ladies and gentlemen,

By establishing the independent United States through the Declaration of Independence 240 years ago the founding fathers of this great country proved that nothing can deprive peoples of their right for independence. This is what the people of Nagorno-Karabakh have been aspiring for – the liberty to freely organize their life in a democratic manner, based on the principle of self-determination. This right is enshrined as the purpose of the United Nations Charter and in many other international documents. The visible solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict goes through ballots not bullets.”

Following the remarks Edward Nalbandian answered the numerous questions of the attendees.

Due to shortcomings in situation of democracy and political freedoms prior to and during the Referendum, including the voting day, the Referendum failed to meet requirements of election legislation and international commitments of the country with regards to democratic elections.

As a result of amendments to the NGO legislation, independent civil society is not able to operate freely in the country. Criminal investigation and large tax fines lingering over some foreign and domestic NGOs, along with restrictions of accessing the foreign funding prevented civil society organizations from meaningfully participating in the referendum and engaging in voter education and election monitoring.

Political repressions intensified during the Referendum resulting in increased number of political prisoners.

The Referendum day was marred with violations including ballot-box stuffing, multiple voting, group voting (carousel) and voting of persons without registration, similar irregularities from the previous elections. EMDS observed that voter turnout was artificially raised in majority of polling stations through multiple voting and ballot-box stuffing. The official turnout do not correspond to real figures.

Following the opinion of the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan on the Constitutional Act on amendments to the main law of the country, EMDS published its opinion about the proposed changes and preparations to the Referendum, and called for consulting with the European Commission for Democracy through Law of the Council of Europe (the Venice Commission).

EMDS believes that comprehensive assessment of 26 September 2016 Referendum requires consideration of all stages of the referendum including evaluation of awareness raising among public on proposed changes, political situation and conditions prior to the referendum, the election legislation, conduct of the referendum day and vote tabulation against the international commitments of the country.

EMDS notes with regret that there was no open public debate or adequate awareness raising campaign among public on proposed changes to the Constitution which are essential for expression of people’s true will. Increased restrictions on freedoms of expression, assembly and association in the last few years, along with very short official campaigning period (22 days) and refusal to register opposition campaign groups contributed to the lack of vibrant debate during the referendum.

EMDS believes that the government should demonstrate political will to restore mutual confidence in relations between the state and public, should create competitive environment for all political opponents and should release all political prisoners.

Moreover, as the Referendum fails to deliver adequate Constitutional reforms on separation of power and protection of human rights, the government should work together with the Venice Commission and civil society to address the issues in this field.

Russia has started the delivery of weapons to Armenia under the $200 mln agreement, Russia’s Ambassador to Armenia Ivan Volynkin said in an interview with  Radio Liberty.

The Ambassador also commented on the sale of Iskander ballistic missile system, noting that the fact is a testament to the allied nature of the Armenian-Russian relations.

According to Amb. Volynkin, the sale of the Iskander means that “the relations between Armenia and Russia are allied and friendly.”

As for the $200 mln loan agreement, the Ambassador said it’s in the process of implementation. “It is being implemented according to the plan, the delivery has already started,” Ivan Volynkin said.

Armenia began the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign with an away loss against Denmark.

Christian Eriksen  netted the only goal in Copenhagen in the 17th minute, though the Tottenham midfielder failed to convert a penalty in the second half when Armenia ‘keeper Arsen Beglaryan saved his spot kick.

Armenia will next host Romania.