Armenian News... A Topalian...Turkish ambassador returns to Germany after Armenian Genocide row 18:12, 07 Oct 2016

Sent: Thu, 13 Oct 2016 02:11:05 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: AN
radio.am

Siranush Ghazanchyan
Germany’s Foreign Ministry says the Turkish ambassador has returned to 
his post in Berlin, some four months after he was recalled amid fury in 
Ankara over a parliamentary resolution that labeled the killings of 
Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as genocide, the Associated 
Press reports.
Deputy foreign minister Markus Ederer met with ambassador Huseyin Avni 
Karslioglu Friday and said his return was “an important positive step in 
bilateral relations.”
The ambassador’s return was the latest sign of a thaw between the two 
countries following the June vote in Parliament.
Last month, Turkey gave its approval for German lawmakers to visit 
German troops at a Turkish air base, ending a standoff that had deepened 
strains in ties between the two NATO allies. The visit took place 
earlier this week.
RFE/RL Report
Sarkisian Promotes Armenia At Investment Forum In New York
October 11, 2016
. Emil Danielyan
U.S. - Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian addresses an investment
forum on Armenia in New York, 10Oct2016.
President Serzh Sarkisian has urged more foreign companies to invest
in Armenia, saying that they could use his country as a "gateway" to
Russia, the European Union and other large markets.
Opening an international investment forum on Armenia in New York on
Monday evening, Sarkisian also told potential investors that his newly
reshuffled government plans to "markedly" improve the country's
business environment and tax administration in particular.
"Armenia's new government formed just days ago has received broad
powers to boldly push forward a process of legal and institutional
reforms in order to make Armenia's investment climate much more
attractive for both local and foreign investors," he said in a speech.
"We regard the involvement of foreign investors as a very important
tool for stimulating Armenia's economy," he added.
Sarkisian went on to signal his government's readiness to offer tax
breaks to large foreign firms interested in using Armenia as a
"gateway to the main regional markets." He argued that Armenia has a
free-trade regime with Russia thanks to its membership in the Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU), enjoys preferential access to the European
Union's common market, and has a common border with Iran.
In that regard, Sarkisian pointed to the ongoing reconstruction of
major Armenian highways which he said will make Armenia the shortest
transport link between Iran's Persian Gulf and Georgia's Black Sea
ports.
Armenia's ambition to serve as a "gateway to major markets" was the
theme of the first panel discussion at the forum organized by the
Armenian government and attended by senior executives from foreign
companies. Representatives of Western lending institutions as well as
the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, Richard Mills, were also in
attendance.
Armenia -- Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamian addresses the opening
ceremony for the launch of a gold mining project at Amulsar,
19Aug2016.
Some of the Western investors participating in the forum are already
present in Armenia. They include the U.S. hi-tech companies National
Instruments and Synopsis, the Colorado-headquartered mining firm
Lydian International and the New York-based energy group
ContourGlobal.
ContourGlobal purchased Armenia's largest hydroelectric complex last
year, while Lydian began building in August this year a gold mine that
will significantly increase Armenian exports of gold. Sarkisian met
with the chief executives of these companies on the margins of the New
York forum.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Armenia has rapidly declined in the
last few years. According to official Armenian statistics, it shrunk
by more than half, to $180 million, last year. The downward trend,
which Armenian officials blame on the global economic slowdown,
appears to have continued into 2016.
Analysts believe that potential investors are also scared away by
endemic government corruption, a lack of judicial independence,
arbitrary tax administration and inadequate enforcement of the
country's anti-trust legislation. Some lucrative sectors of the
Armenian economy have long been effectively monopolized by wealthy
businesspeople linked to the government.
In his speech, Sarkisian insisted that his administration has improved
the domestic business environment in the past several years. He argued
that Armenia ranked 35th in the World Bank's most recent annual survey
of 189 nations that evaluated the ease of doing business around the
world.
"We are committed to further improving our country's business
environment," added the Armenian president.
Sarkisian cited the need to speed up economic reforms when he
announced on September 8 his decision to replace his prime minister,
Hovik Abrahamian, by Karen Karapetian, a longtime business
executive. Karapetian pledged to embark on "systemic changes" shortly
after his appointment.
Armenian opposition politicians are skeptical about the promised
reforms, however, saying that the new premier will not end tax
authorities' privileged treatment of wealthy businesspeople connected
to the government. They say that the Sarkisian administration will
continue to heavily rely on the so-called "oligarchs" for political
support.
RFE/RL Report
Aliyev Slams `Pro-Armenian' Kerry
October 07, 2016
. Emil Danielyan
Austria - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) gestures next to
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan during a bilateral meeting in
Vienna, Austria, May 16, 2016
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on Friday condemned U.S. Secretary
of State John Kerry for saying that both he and his Armenian
counterpart Serzh Sarkisian are not prepared for a compromise solution
to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Aliyev also said that Baku is facing international pressure to come to
terms with Karabakh's de facto independence.
Kerry briefly mentioned the Karabakh issue when he spoke at a forum on
international security in Washington last week. "There are some frozen
conflicts in the world today: Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan-Armenia,
where you can't quite see that [decisive progress] right now because
the leaders aren't ready, because the tensions are there," he said.
Aliyev angrily denounced Kerry's remarks as pro-Armenian during a
cabinet meeting in Baku. "To accuse Azerbaijan of being unwilling to
settle the conflict is dishonest, to say the least," he charged,
according to the APA news agency. Blaming both conflicting parties for
the stalemate amounts to "showing overt support for Armenia's policy
of occupation," he said.
"We do not accept these statements," Aliyev went on. "We believe that
these statements must be corrected at the highest level as soon as
possible. Or else, the [U.S.] mediating mission could be called into
question."
"This thesis was voiced officially. But behind the closed doors
conversations are taking place, and pressure is exerted on Azerbaijan
so that it agrees to Nagorno-Karabakh's independence," he revealed
without elaborating.
Russia -- Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian (R) and Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev meet to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement
, in St. Petersburg, June 20, 2016
Kerry became personally involved in joint U.S., Russian and French
efforts to end the Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute following the outbreak
in early April of heavy fighting in and around Karabakh. He and
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mediated the May 16 meeting in
Vienna of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents.
The Vienna summit was aimed at de-escalating tensions on the Karabakh
frontlines. Sarkisian and Aliyev held follow-up talks in Russia on
June 20 amid signs that the long-running peace process may be revived.
Kerry held separate meetings with Aliyev and Sarkisian on the
sidelines of a NATO summit in Warsaw in early July. No further
progress towards a Karabakh settlement has been reported since then.
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Azerbaijani counterpart
Elmar Mammadyarov traded accusations when they met separately with the
U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in New York
late last month.
In particular, Nalbandian said that Baku is refusing to honor
confidence-building understandings reached at Vienna and Saint
Petersburg. They were supposed to prevent further serious ceasefire
violations in the conflict zone.
Aliyev claimed, however, Yerevan is now "trying to remove the issue
from the global agenda" with the help of "the Armenian lobby."
APA, Azerbaijan
Oct 7 2016
Ilham Aliyev: Blaming Azerbaijan for unwillingness to settle Karabakh 
conflict would be injustice
¥
Baku – APA. Blaming Azerbaijan for unwillingness to settle the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would be injustice, Azerbaijan’s President 
Ilham Aliyev said on Friday.
 
He made the remarks at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers 
dedicated to the results of socio-economic development in the nine 
months of 2016 and future objectives.
 
Recalling the great military victory Azerbaijan achieved in April of 
this year, the president noted that the April fighting is a glorious 
page in the country’s history.
 
“The Azerbaijani army liberated parts of Aghdere, Fuzuli, and Jabrayil 
from the invaders, raising Azerbaijan’s flag in those lands,” said Ilham 
Aliyev. “More than 2,000 hectares of lands were liberated from the 
invaders, and another area larger than them came under our control.”
 
The Azerbaijani army has gained complete superiority along the contact 
line and is able to eliminate any target on the enemy side, he added.
 
The head of state said the mediators have become more active since the 
April fighting.
 
“You know there were meetings in May and June. But now we are in the 
month of October,” the president said and noted that resorting to its 
dirty tactics and relying on the lobby’s support, Armenia wants to 
distract the world’s attention from this issue.
 
“We must not allow this and the conflict has to be resolved as soon as 
possible,” he added.  
 
“But both you and the Azerbaijani community know that Armenia alone is 
not to blame for this issue still being unsolved. The Armenians has 
great supporters, offering them money, weapon, lobbyist support, etc. 
This is why the issue has not been resolved,” said Ilham Aliyev, calling 
for a clarification of this issue.  
 
The president pointed out that Azerbaijan is faced with double 
standards and failure to resolve the conflict does not earn the UN 
Security Council any honor.   
 
“The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions, which have been 
unfulfilled for more than 20 years. At least they should respect their 
own decisions. Now we can clearly see how Armenia violates international 
law,” he said.
 
Azerbaijan remains committed to a peaceful resolution to the conflict 
and is making efforts in this direction, the president noted. 
 
“You’re probably aware of Washington’s recent statement on the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Azerbaijani public knows about is as 
well. This is a surprising statement, to put it mildly,” said Ilham 
Aliyev.
 
Blaming Azerbaijan for unwillingness to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh 
conflict would be injustice, he emphasized.
 
 
“How does this statement coincide with other ones?!” said the 
president, reminding that there is a thesis that the US, Russian and 
French presidents have repeatedly voiced: The status quo is 
unacceptable”.
 
“We laud this. It is true that no practical work is being conducted 
despite this thesis, but anyway, the emergence of this thesis is our 
great success,” he said. “With the existence of such a serious 
statement, saying ‘both sides are guilty, the sides are not ready for 
this, this issue is complicated even more than the Palestine-Israel 
conflict’ is simply a support to the occupation policy of Armenia. There 
is no other explanation for this.”
 
“It is true that there are various statements nowadays, they are ripped 
out of the context and are not understood correctly. We understand 
everything very well. We live in the age of internet. When something is 
said somewhere, it immediately echoes. We don’t accept such statements,” 
said President Aliyev.
 
“We believe these statements should be corrected soon at the highest 
level,” he added. “Otherwise, the mediating mission can be called into 
doubt.”
 
He also said the statement from the US was a thesis voiced only 
officially.
 
“There are so many talks behind the closed doors. We face so many 
pressures for Azerbaijan to give its consent on independence of the 
Nagorno-Karabakh. We don’t announce them, because diplomacy has its own 
rules,” said Ilham Aliyev.
 
He also mentioned the smear, slander and insult campaigns conducted by 
the Western media and non-governmental organizations, as well as the 
instructions given to the fifth column in Azerbaijan to use those 
campaigns against the country. The president said the reason for all 
this is to make Azerbaijan give its consent on the independence of 
Nagorno-Karabakh.
 
“This will never happen. As long as we are governing the country – and 
the referendum showed that we will govern it for a long time – 
Azerbaijan will not agree with this. Nagorno-Karabakh is our inseparable 
historical land and we have to restore our territorial integrity,” added 
President Aliyev. 
Former Kolkota Armenian School Manager Sends Protest Letter to 
Catholicos Karekin II
13:18, October 11, 2016
The following is an open letter addressed to Karekin II, Supreme 
Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians regarding a recent Kolkota 
Armenian high school ruling.  
His Holiness Karekin II
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians 
Catholicosate of All Armenians 
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin  
Armenia                                                                 
                                                
Your Holiness,
Who would have thought that Your Holiness above all people in Armenia 
would be the architect of curbing higher education or children. It has 
been officially announced to the students of the Armenian College by 
Rev. Father MovsesSargsyan, manager of the school, that the boys will 
have to return to Armenia once they complete class X, to serve in the 
Armed forces of Armenia. Until now the students were given the 
opportunity to complete class X and XII and go to college or get 
vocational training. This would groom them for their adult life. 
The ACPA (Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy) was founded by 
patriotic Armenians from Iran and this unique institution has educated 
Armenian children from many countries. They have been groomed with 
further studies after school to face their future. 
Why should children come to India any more if they cannot fulfill their 
dreams of further studies; they can have their basic education in 
Armenia.  
The ACPA was handed over to His Holiness Karekin I (God rest his soul) 
who was highly educated and spoke many languages. He fully understood 
the importance of good education and that military training can be done 
when they complete their studies.  Soldiers are very important to a 
country such as ours, no one would disagree.  However, Armenia also 
needs educated young people for her overall development.
There seem to be no care for the poor Armenians by your Holiness; more 
emphasis is being laid on promoting the 'Kingdom of Etchmiadzin’ by 
taking over churches in the East and far East, some of which are very 
wealthy and located in prime locations in their countries. Priests and 
Your Holiness live in the lap of luxury and not as servants of God, and 
there is no effort to help the underprivileged population of Armenia. 
I can well imagine how parents will feel when they know of your ruling- 
almost sure that your Holiness will not be popular with these hapless 
people, - not that you are now in any case, as the recent news 
circulating in the media suggest. 
Respectfully,
Sonia John
Former Chairperson - Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth, Kolkata
Former Manager - Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy
Kolkata, India
Sports Mole
Oct 11 2016
Result: Wales Under-21s hold on to pick up victory in Armenia
Wales Under-21s finish fourth in U21 Euro 2017 Group 5 qualifying
after beating Armenia Under-21s 3-1 in Yerevan.
By Daniel Lewis, Football League Correspondent
Wales Under-21s have claimed a 3-1 victory over Armenia Under-21s to
finish their U21 Euro 2017 qualification Group 5 campaign in fourth
place.
The Young Dragons missed out on a place in next summer's finals in
Poland following a set of disappointing results last month, but were
able to see off their winless opponents to end things on a relative
high this evening.
Armenia, with just one point from their 10 fixtures, did give the
visitors a little scare when pulling themselves back into the game
seconds after falling two behind in the second half, although in the
end Wales did enough to get over the line.
Bristol Rovers ace Ellis Harrison found the breakthrough goal for his
side 19 minutes in at the FFA Academy Stadium in Yerevan, which was
added to in the second half in fortuitous circumstances as Aram
Shakhnazaryan put into his own net.
Artem Simonyan pulled one back for Group 5's bottom-placed side less
than a minute later, but the next goal went the way of the Welsh
thanks to Tommy O'Sullivan's strike in added time - bettering their
2-1 win from the corresponding fixture 11 months ago in Bangor.