Istanbul protests spread to Baku: police disperses protests supporting demonstrations in Turkey

June 4, 2013 By administrator

On Monday at 4:00pm, Baku police prevented a group of young people trying to hold a rally of solidarity with the protesters in Istanbul, the Azerbaijani information agency Turan reports.

It says that about 50 people gathered in front of the Turkish Embassy in Baku, calling to meet the demands of demonstrators in Istanbul. They called on the Turkish government to stop pressure on the protesters, and to abandon plans for the restructuring of Taksim Square, according to correspondents from the scene.

The police, however, pushed the crowd away from the embassy. Young people told reporters they continue to hold solidarity actions in other locations in central Baku, without naming specific addresses.

Street protests continue to be held in several cities in Turkey (Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Izmir and Konya) from the end of May. Demonstrators protest against the government’s plans to build a shopping and entertainment complex in the park of Gezi in Istanbul. Opponents of the construction of the shopping center claim that Gezi Park is one of the few green areas in the center of Istanbul. The protests began as a protest of local environmentalists. But the action quickly grew into a demonstration of dissatisfaction on the policy of the Turkish prime minister and the ruling party. Turkish police used violence to disperse the protesters.

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, mentioned about the “disproportionate use of force by the police.” Peaceful demonstrations “are part of manifestations of democracy”, and the long-term stability in Turkey can only be ensured by provision of “fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly and unification,” said USA White House spokesperson Laura Lucas.

Russia Stations Advanced Missiles in Armenia

June 4, 2013 By administrator

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Russia has deployed in Armenia state-of-the-art ballistic missiles capable of striking targets more than 400 kilometers away, according to a source in the Armenian Defense Ministry.

Speaking on the condition anonymity, the source told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) over the weekend that several Iskander-M systems are currently stationed at undisclosed locations in the country. The source declined to clarify whether they were delivered to the Armenian armed forces or the Russian military base headquartered in Gyumri.

The Defense Ministry in Yerevan did not officially confirm or refute the information as of Monday.

Citing an unnamed Russian military source, the Russian news agency Regnum reported on May 15 that Moscow is likely to deploy the advanced surface-to-surface missiles as part of the ongoing modernization of its base in Armenia.

Designated by NATO as SS-26 Stone, Iskander-M is regarded by military analysts as one of the most advanced missile systems of its kind in the world. The system known for its precision was developed in the 1990s and adopted by the Russian army in 2006. With an operational range of at least 400 kilometers, its 7.3-meter-long missiles can overcome existing missile-defense systems, according to Russian military officials and experts.

Russian-Armenian military ties appear to have deepened further in the last few months, with Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu and chief of the General Staff, Colonel-General Valery Gerasimov, visiting Armenia early this year. Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian held follow-up talks with Shoygu a mid-April trip to Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian also discussed defense cooperation when they met near Moscow on March 12. Sarkisian reportedly thanked Putin for “good progress” in bilateral military ties made since their previous meeting in December.

A Russian-Armenian defense agreement signed in August 2010 commits Moscow to helping Yerevan obtain “modern and compatible weaponry and special military hardware.” Russian assistance is vital for the implementation of a five-year plan to modernize the Armenian army that was adopted by the Sarkisian administration later in 2010. The plan puts the emphasis on the acquisition of long-range precision-guided weapons.

The Armenian military has been equipped until now with only Scud-B and Tochka-U ballistic missiles that have firing ranges of 300 kilometers and 120 kilometers respectively. The Soviet-era systems are less advanced than Iskander-M. The military makes no secret of its readiness to use them against Azerbaijan’s oil and gas installations in case of a renewed war for Nagorno-Karabakh.

Iranian presidential candidate: Azerbaijan has become a threat to Iran’s security

June 2, 2013 By administrator

Iran should not show indifference to Azerbaijan’s threats, Hassan Rohani, Iranian presidential candidate, representative of the Iran’s Supreme Leader in the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), told Irdiplomacy.ir in an interview.

The Iranian presidential candidate spoke of Iran’s foreign policy problems and challenges of relations with some neighboring countries. “After the collapse of the USSR, new states were established in the Caspian Sea region and Azerbaijan is among them. It is not an exaggeration to say that Azerbaijan has become a threat to Iran’s security. The actions taken by some Azerbaijani officials pose threat to Iran’s territorial integrity. Therefore, Iran’s responsible officials should not show indifference to Azerbaijan’s threats.”

Senate of Louisiana adopts resolution to support independence of Nagorno-Karabakh

June 2, 2013 By administrator

May 31, 2013 | 18:04

The Senate of Louisiana adopted resolution supporting independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and calling on the Congress and U.S. President to support “the self- determination and democratic independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.”

The document introduced by Senator Edwin Murray says “the Legislature of Louisiana hereby encourages and supports the Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent nation in order to guarantee its citizens those rights inherent in a free and independent society.”

“The President and Congress of the United States of America are hereby urged to support the self-determination and democratic independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and its constructive involvement with the international community’s efforts to reach a just and lasting solution to security issues in that strategically important region,” the resolution reads.

Turkey flies high in world bribery list

May 30, 2013 By administrator

Turkey ranks among the worst 10 countries in which bribery is commonly used to win contracts, according to an Ernst&Young survey conducted with C-level executives in 36 countries, The Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Some 39 percent of Turkish respondents to the survey think resorting to bribery is necessary to win the tenders in their sector, while 55 percent believe corruption is “widespread” across all businesses.

The gap between the two figures reveals the respondents’ tendency to think bribery is more common in the overall economy than in their own sectors.

“Despite companies knowing the corruption risks in the business world, they don’t acknowledge the risks in their own sectors,” Ernst&Young Turkey Audit Services Department Head Dilek Çilingir Köstem said in a statement. “In order to be able to move against corruption, executives should admit the risks to be able to manage them.”

Concerning “overall” corruption perception, Turkey ranks lower than 11 European countries in the list.

Slovenian bosses have the least faith in the transparency of business in their country, with 96 percent of them telling Ernst&Young surveyors that bribery and corruption commonly took place there.

As usual, northern European countries have the lowest percentages of respondents who think bribery is widespread in their country.

The survey also exposes perceptions over how companies report their true financial performances, by asking: “How often do companies report their financial performance to be better than it is?” The Turkish respondents who said “yes” to the question are reported at 45 percent in the survey results, higher than the 38 percent average.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Notorious Genocide denial organization (TURKSOY) The Arm of Turkish Government Cultural diplomacy propaganda machine, with Billions of $$$ to undermined year 2015 Armenian Genocide.

May 24, 2013 By administrator

Expressing his worries about the year 2015 when more and more discussions will be held on Armenian issue, Cengizer said “The more we learn about our history, the better we can support our country in 2015. Turkey has never carried out genocide.”

Anatolian Festival in Costa Mesa California was one of such Turkish Cultural diplomacy propaganda programs that Turkish government spent millions of dollars to deny Armenian Genocide.

Unfortunately some naive Armenian individuals have participated in Turkish Cultural diplomacy propaganda.

Here is the the rest of the TURKSOY Cultural diplomacy:

Panel discussion titled “Cultural diplomacy and new initiatives in international relations” was held at International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) in cooperation with Eurasia Economic Relations Association (EkoAvrasya) and Ankara Political and Economic Studies Center (ASEM) on Wednesday.

Deputy Secretary General of TURKSOY Firat Purtas pointed out the organization conducts many cultural activities in a number of countries and added TURKSOY was exactly an organization of cultural diplomacy.

“Cultural diplomacy helps countries express themselves more clearly and understand the others better,” said Purtas adding “That is how they establish confidence and the interaction starts between countries.”

Altay Cengizer, Director General for Overseas Promotion and Cultural Affairs at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Turkey needed to carry out more activities of cultural diplomacy in order to prevent the misunderstandings on Turkey. Cengizer, on the other hand, stated most of the European countries did not really need to focus on cultural diplomacy as they could easily attract the attention to their country by easily producing a film or a book.

Speaking at the panel discussion, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Yusuf Tekin said sport and sport diplomacy had been voiced more often in all the international meetings across the world.

Tekin said, “It may be ‘sport’ which is the most important soft power that we are not aware of” reminding the number of players and participants in 2012 London Summer Olympics.

Mentioning about the transfers in English and Spanish football leagues, Tekin said most of the countries around the world made use of football in order to improve their diplomatic relations with other countries.

Tekin ended his speech saying “All the countries in the world carry out lobbying activities with the aim of being the host country in international sport organizations. Turkey has also comprehended the role of sport in diplomatic relations.”

Slovak journalist: It is a catastrophe that few people know of Artsakh (video)

May 23, 2013 By administrator

Artsakh is a democratic country, Slovak journalist Libor Spimr Ing says.

He was visiting Artsakh to participate in the celebrations of the May 9 triple holiday. Panorama’s camera crew met the European journalist near the front line, where he is shooting a film on Artsakh. In an interview with Panorama.am, Libor Spimr Ing spoke about his impressions of Artsakh and about his film.

“I made my first visit to Artsakh this January. I stayed here for three weeks. Life is here different from that in Europe and Slovakia. My film, to be titled “Time,” aims to show that Artsakh is a free country and that there is no problem here.

“I have said in an interview that in Slovakia, we live a 100 percent material life, while here in Artsakh people live 50 percent material life and 50 percent spiritual life. There are 5th and 6th century churches here – something you cannot find in Europe. I want to show that the people that live in Artsakh are our friends and that contrary to Aliyev’s allegations, Artsakh is not the enemy of the Caucasus or the world.

“Unlike my country, no crimes are committed here.

“The democracy that exists in our country is not a real democracy. The real democracy is here. Why? Because there is a lot of bureaucracy in our country. In our country, you cannot just go and talk to a minister. But here there is no problem with talking to a minister. In my country, very few people know of Artsakh and I think it is a catastrophe because there are people and churches here, and there is life here.”
Source: Panorama.am

Russia slams Azerbaijan over ‘outrageous’ Eurovision vote scandal

May 21, 2013 By administrator

MOSCOW – Agence France-Presse

Moscow reacted angrily on Tuesday as its neighbour Azerbaijan admitted that its vote at the Eurovision Song Contest awarding “nul points” to Russia’s song appeared to have been falsified.

The scandal topped the agenda at a televised briefing between the countries’ foreign ministers in Moscow, as Azerbaijan’s top diplomat admitted that the votes submitted for Russia via cell phone had somehow been omitted from the final tally.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov read out a list of votes submitted by the country’s three cell phone providers, all of them putting Russia in second place behind Ukraine, which should have meant Azerbaijan gave Russia 10 points.

“Where these votes went, how they disappeared — this is a question for our state television,” he said, calling the case a “detective mystery.” “When our contestant is robbed of 10 points, this does not make us happy,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded gravely.

Lavrov said the two sides had agreed that Azerbaijan’s state television must first clarify the details of what happened.

Then “we will coordinate our joint actions so that this outrageous act is not left without response,” he said.

The 10 points from Azerbaijan would not have changed the ranking of Russia’s contestant, who came in a disappointing fifth place, 17 points behind Norway’s representative. The Eurovision row took precedence at the briefing over diplomatic issues such as Azerbaijan’s territorial dispute with Armenia.

The scandal emerged on Monday when the director of Azerbaijan’s state broadcaster of Eurovision, Camil Guliyev, said that both the cell phone votes and the professional jury had given Russia high marks, and called the tally a matter of “serious concern and surprise.” For Azerbaijan, it is deeply embarrassing to have handed zero marks to Russia, an important neighbour which it is keen to appease despite tensions over energy and the long-running Nagorny Karabakh dispute.

Russia gave its maximum 12 points to Azerbaijan’s Eurovision entry, which came in second place. Oil-rich Azerbaijan hosted last year’s Eurovision on a grand scale in Baku with a brand-new sea-front venue and city-wide celebrations, although rights activists held protests to highlight the persecution of political opponents of President Ilham Aliyev.

House resolution goes beyond Genocide recognition seeking truth and justice

May 21, 2013 By administrator

In a welcome move, four members of the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a resolution that advocates a new approach for the pursuit of Armenian rights in Congress, going beyond genocide recognition.

This new bipartisan initiative, introduced by Congressmen David Valadao (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Michael Grimm (R-NY), and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), is appropriately titled: “Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Act.”

It is well-known that the U.S. government has recognized the Armenian Genocide on several occasions, starting in 1951 by the submission of an official document to the International Court of Justice (World Court), followed by Pres. Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Proclamation of April 22, 1981, and through two House resolutions in 1975 and 1984.

The proposed measure calls upon Pres. Obama “to work toward equitable, constructive, and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of Turkey’s full acknowledgement of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and a fair, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this crime against humanity,” the Armenian National Committee of America reported.

It is high time that Armenian-Americans support congressional efforts that go beyond the mere repetition of the acknowledged facts of Armenian Genocide, and seek the more meaningful goal of justice, which entails the restitution and recovery of the substantial losses suffered as a consequence of the Genocide, including personal and community properties, and the occupied territories of Western Armenia. It is hardly conceivable that anyone would dare to oppose the universally-accepted concept of justice, not even Rejep Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister of Turkey, who heads the ruling ‘Justice and Development Party.’

It is understandable that for many years, it was necessary to seek genocide recognition as most of the world was unaware of the Armenian Genocide. However, as a result of the relentless efforts by the Armenian Diaspora and the Republic of Armenia, there is no longer a need to continue pursuing recognition — having largely prevailed over persistent Turkish denialism. By declaring victory and moving forward to reclaim their just demands, Armenians would avoid falling in the Turkish trap of trying to reconfirm the facts of the Genocide ad nauseam! Meanwhile, the Turkish government would continue its shameful refusal to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide or might engage in the deceptive game of issuing partial and meaningless apologies in order to mislead the international community on the eve of the Genocide’s Centennial.

The new House resolution also seeks to shift the U.S. government’s efforts away from the ill-fated Armenia-Turkey Protocols and refocus the Obama Administration’s attention on Armenia’s just demands from Turkey. The congressional resolution reminds Pres. Obama of his April 24, 2012 statement in which he advocated that “a full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts is in all of our interests. Moving forward with the future cannot be done without reckoning with the facts of the past.”

The resolution points out that the Republic of Turkey, rather than “reckoning with the facts of the past,” has “escalated its international campaign of Armenian Genocide denial, maintained its blockade of Armenia, and increased its pressure on the small but growing Turkish civil society movement acknowledging the Armenian Genocide and seeking justice from this systematic campaign of destruction of millions of Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, Pontian, Syriac, and other Christians upon their biblical-era homelands.”

The Congressional resolution further declares that U.S. “national interests in the establishment of equitable, constructive, stable, and durable relations between Armenians and Turks cannot be meaningfully advanced by circumventing or otherwise seeking to avoid materially addressing the central political, legal, security, and moral issue between these two nations: Turkey’s denial of truth and justice for the Armenian Genocide.”

The newly-introduced resolution makes it clear that Armenians, rather than being satisfied by merely regurgitating the well-known facts of the Genocide, demand a just resolution through full and comprehensive restitution.

Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

“Azerbaijan: cemetery of nations” film screens in Stepanakert (video)

May 20, 2013 By administrator

PanARMENIAN.Net – “Azerbaijan: cemetery of nations” documentary was screened in Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh.

The film tells a story of the occupation of indigenous peoples’ historic lands by Azerbaijan. Similar fates of the nations enable to acknowledge the course of the historic developments and the peoples’ aspiration for statehood.

Unique archival materials are documented in the film.