Armenian News... A Topalian... Karabakh frontline calm after the shelling
Tert, Armenia
July 8 2017
Situation on Nagorno-Karabakh frontline calm after intensive shelling - Defense Army spokesperson
The situation along the borders of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) is calm after the Friday unrest, according to a Defense Army spokesperson.
“The situation is calm - without any shootings or tension,” Senor Hasratyan said in comments to Tert.am.
The past week saw an increasing tension along the Line of Contact. Heavy escalations were observed particularly after July 4. The Defense Army reported intensive firings also on Friday morning; the adversary shelled frontline defense positions from heavy launchers (122-mm howitzer D-30 Š°nd 85 mm divisional gun D-44 ), and mortars and grenade launchers of different calibers.
Three Armenian servicemen were wounded in the attacks. They are now under medical care at the military hospital of Stepanakert.
Trend, Azerbaijan
July 10 2017
Karabakh tragedy brought to steps of Armenian Embassy in London
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 10
In an emotive reconstruction, the carnage of the tragedy near to the Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh has been brought directly to the steps of the Armenian Embassy in London.
After a week when shocking images showing the bloodied corpse of two-year-old Zahra Guliyeva flooded the airwaves, five battered, bruised and bloody dismembered dolls were strewn on the steps to the Embassy in Kensington.
This symbolic act by Azerbaijani diaspora members came in the wake of events on July 4, 2017 when two inhabitants of the Alkhanli village of the Fuzuli district – two-year-old Zahra Guliyeva and her grandmother Sahiba Allahverdiyeva – were killed by Armenian armed forces located close to the ‘contact line’.
This was in direct contravention of the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949 and other international agreements, which defend the rights of civil society and forbid the targeting of civilians.
This latest manifestation of violence in the unresolved Armenian–Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has been unreservedly condemned by politicians in the UK, France, Belgium, Members of the European Parliament and international organisations, including the UN, OSCE and OIC.
This terrible humanitarian tragedy irrefutably reiterates the need for rapid resolution of this conflict and for Armenia to implement the four UN Security Council resolutions passed in 1993 demanding the withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territory.
ArmInfo, Armenia
July 10 2017
Turkish law makers to be fined for "incorrect" statements about the Armenian Genocide
ArmInfo .In case of making statements about the events of 1915, which are contrary to the national interests of the country, Turkish law makers will be fined in the amount of 12 thousand lire (about 3.5 thousand dollars) that is two thirds of the deputy salary. According to the Turkish media, the corresponding decision was made in the framework of the new internal procedural rules.
Together with the _expression_ of the Armenian Genocide, the use of "Iraqi Kurdistan" by parliamentarians is also prohibited.
Recall that the Turkish MP of Armenian origin from the Kurdish Democratic Party of the Peoples of Turkey Karo Paylan was repeatedly persecuted for his statements about the events of 1915, there were even calls to deprive him of his parliamentary immunity.
Tert, Armenia
July 8 2017
Boghossian Brand jewelry stolen from London's Masterpiece fair
London’s Metropolitan Police are investigating a major theft from the Masterpiece art fair (29 June-5 July) in Chelsea, west London.
The items stolen from the stand of Swiss jewellers Boghossian, based in Geneva and London, are estimated to be worth up to £3m, Theartnewspaper.comreports, citing the Evening Standard.
There were reportedly no witnesses to the theft, which is thought to have taken place between 5pm on 4 July and 9.30am on 5 July, the fair’s final day. The security presence at the venue, in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, included CCTV cameras and bag checks when entering and leaving the premises.
A spokeswoman for the fair said: “Masterpiece is fully co-operating with the Metropolitan Police, and we take the security of the fair and the objects exhibited very seriously.” Boghossian were not available for comment.
This year’s edition of the fair, with 153 exhibitors of fine art and luxury goods, drew a record 44,000 visitors.
Panorama, Armenia
July 8 2017
Carpet, carpet coverings production decreased in Armenia
Carpet production decreased by 45.9% in January – May 2017 as compared to the production volume for the indicated period in the previous year, according to the National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia (NSS).
According to the source, in January-May of 2016, 8.5 tons of carpets and carpet coverings have been produced in the republic, while the number is 4.6 tons for the indicated period of this year.
According to NSS, for the indicated period hosiery production decreased by 23.9%. 5 044.8 thousand pairs have been produced in January- May 2017, compared to 6 627.3 thousand pairs manufactured for the indicated period in 2016.Thus, the production volume increased for three times.
As to knitwear production, in January-May 2017, 1 596.7 thousand articles have been manufactured in Armenia, compared to 1 264 thousand articles of the same period in 2016. Overall, the knitwear production increased by 23.6% in Armenia.
NSS data indicate cotton fabrics production levels increased by 58.3% with 1,9 tons manufactured in January-May 2017 to compare to 1,2 tons of articles.
news.am , Armenia
July 10 2017
4 Armenians listed among 150 most influential people in Russia
Four Armenians are included in the list of 150 most influential people in Russia issued by GQ Russia magazine.
The list includes TV host Sati Spivakova – the wife of famous Russian conductor and violinist Vladimir Spivakov, restaurant owner Alexander Oganezov as well as Aram Mnatsakanov, the owner of Probka restaurant group.
The fourth Armenian in the list is businessman Ruben Vardanyan – CEO of Troika Dialog , philanthropist and founder of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity.
RFE/RL Report
July 10, 2017
Naira Bulghadarian
The New York-based group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for a
"prompt, thorough, and effective" investigation into reports that four
arrested members of an armed Armenian opposition group were beaten up
during their ongoing trial in Yerevan.
The high-profile trial stems from the July 2016 attack on a police
base in Yerevan's Erebuni district that was launched by gunmen
affiliated with Founding Parliament, a radical opposition group. The
gunmen laid down their arms after a two-week standoff with security
forces which left three police officers dead.
The 18 leading members of the armed group went on trial in Yerevan in
late May. Four of them claimed to have been brutally attacked by
police officers immediately after a tense court hearing on June 28.
During the hearing, two of them -- Areg Kyureghian and Mkhitar
Avetisian -- were removed from the courtroom after arguing with the
presiding judge and security personnel.They as well as two other
defendants -- Arayik Khandoyan and Gagik Yeghiazarian -- told their
lawyers afterwards that they were beaten up in the court building's
basement before being transported back to their prisons.
Representatives of the office of Armenia's human rights ombudsman,
Arman Tatoyan, visited Khandoyan, Avetisian and Yeghiazarian in
custody and confirmed various injuries sustained by them.Nevertheless,
the Armenian police denied the beatings.
"Ill-treatment of detainees is strictly prohibited in all
circumstances - it's that simple, and no amount of anger at the crimes
these men are charged with, or tension at the trial, can justify
physical abuse of the defendants," Giorgi Gogia, HRW's South Caucasus
director, said on Sunday. "The authorities have a clear-cut obligation
to promptly and thoroughly investigate and bring those responsible to
justice."
Despite the police denial, another Armenian-law-enforcement agency,
the Special Investigative Service (SIS), said last week that it will
investigate the allegations.
In a statement, HRW welcomed the SIS announcement, while expressing
concern at the fact that police officers involved in the alleged
ill-treatment are still on duty in the courtroom."It is positive that
the authorities have initiated an investigation into the incident,"
Gogia was quoted as saying. "But to be credible, the investigation has
to be effective, meaning that it needs to be thorough, impartial, and
capable of identifying abusive officials and bringing them to
justice."
According to Yeghiazarian's lawyer, Tigran Yegorian, the same police
team again escorted the defendants to the court for the most recent
session of the trial on July 6.
PanArmenian, Armenia
July 10 2017
What will new Armenian money look like?
Hybrid banknotes
By the decision of Central Bank of Armenia (CBA), new hybrid currency will be introduced in the country. To learn some details, PanARMENIAN.Net talked to CBA numismatist Gevorg Mughalyan, who told about the advantages of the new money and explained why it will not be worn out in a short period of time.
PanARMENIAN.Net - Traditionally, paper is used a basis for making banknotes, and the money produced by the Central Bank of Armenia is not an exception. However, this kind of money easily gets damaged, worn out and torn.
During the past three decades, researches have been carried out to create a raw material for the production of banknotes that could prolong their usage time. As a result, two types of stuff – polymer and hybrid – have been developed to help keep the currency clean and resistant to folding and tearing.
Polymer (plastic) money
The issuance of banknotes made of polymeric material, or to put it simply ‘plastic money’, will cost twice as much as the paper money, however their usage period will be 2,5-4 times longer. The production of polymer banknotes launched in Austria in 1998. Presently, 28 countries, including Canada, Romania, New Zealand, UK and others, issue this kind of money.
Besides the expensive process of production of polymer banknotes, it’s also costly to acquire the devices that count, sort and eliminate them, as well as to reprogram and reequip the ATMs.
Hybrid money
The hybrid money is printed with part cotton based paper and part polymer. It consists of three layers and comes in two types. The first type is where the inner layer is made of paper, while the outer layers are polymer. For the second type of banknotes, polymer is used for the inner layer, while the two outer layers are made of paper.
Modern polymer banknotes were first developed by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and The University of Melbourne. They were first issued as currency in Australia during 1988. Australia switched completely to polymer banknotes in 1996. Among the other countries that have converted completely to polymer banknotes are: Brunei, Canada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Kuwait and Vietnam. The latest countries to introduce polymer banknotes into circulation include: the United Kingdom, Cape Verde, Chile, Gambia, Nicaragua, Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Maldives, Israel and Nepal.
New Armenian money
In the new Armenian hybrid banknotes, the inner layer made of paper will be packed in polymer. The CBA decision was conditioned by a number of reasons. First, the hybrid money will serve much longer that paper banknotes. Whilst polymer banknotes technology is still proven to be the better option, Hybrid banknotes are more economical to manufacture, but not as cheap as those traditionally cotton based banknotes (40% more expensive). Second, the hybrid banknotes will have the security attributes which have already become familiar for the population: watermarks and embedded threads, which is impossible in case of purely polymer notes.
As for palpability, hybrid money will resemble the usual paper banknotes, what will help gain people’s trust towards the new currency.
Besides, the devices used to count and sort money in Armenia can recognize and accept hybrid money. It means that no additional investments will be needed and hybrid banknotes can be put into circulation along with the paper notes.
The Times of Israel
July 10 2017
The Republic of Turkey, the 2017 G20 Summit, and the “Calculation” David Davidian
David Davidian David Davidian is an adjunct lecturer at the American University of Armenia.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes represents much more. At the 2017 G20 “ family photo ” one finds the President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, in the front row just to the right of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Certainly the Republic of Turkey qualifies to attend this summit, being the seventeenth largest economy in the world. However, this economy was jump-started by the Turkish state’s expropriation and redistribution of the wealth of its Armenian (as well as Assyrian, Greek, and Yezidi) citizens subject to genocidal extermination. Many leading Turkish families and industries today trace their success to the stolen wealth of these Armenians.
Upon seeing how cordial the Turkish state is treated and cajoled, a state that vehemently denies responsibly and accountability for that genocide, what is one to conclude? It depends on who is looking and at what. When the Turks gassed their Kurds in 1938 – it was not an issue. When Saddam Hussein gasses his Kurds 50 years later – it was an issue. When Turks continue to oppress what remains of their minorities today – it’s still not an issue. Much to the chagrin of the idealist, international justice simply doesn’t exist.
Why would Germany submit to threats by Britain, France and Russia in 1915, forcing their Turkish ally to stop the extermination of the Armenians, knowing these same enemy powers preferred the Turks expend wartime energy killing its Armenian citizens? Just over twenty-five years later, why would the United States be expected to bomb rails lines going into Auschwitz and other camps? Militarily, it was better the Germans expend effort in tracking down and killing Jews, taking Nazi resources away from real military efforts. This is the same calculation that puts the Republic of Turkey nearly front and center at this year’s G20 “family photo”. The same calculation resulted in almost a million Tutsis exterminated at the hands of the Hutu-dominated government of Rwanda, for NATO and other states were “preoccupied” dismantling Yugoslavia.
Yes, and let’s codify this calculation and call it the UN Genocide Convention. Upon its adoption, the United States on May 28, 1951, in a document entitled, International Court of Justice; Pleadings, Oral Arguments, Documents; Reservations to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, in Section C, part 4. Written Statement of the Government of the United States of America, in item I, declared:
“I. The Genocide Convention
The Genocide Convention resulted from the inhuman and barbarous practices which prevailed in certain countries prior to and during World War II, when entire religious, racial and national minority groups were threatened with and subjected to deliberate extermination. The practice of genocide has occurred throughout human history. The Roman persecution of the Christians, the Turkish massacres of Armenians, the extermination of millions of Jews and Poles by the Nazis are outstanding examples of the crime of genocide. This was the background when the General Assembly of the United Nations considered the problem of genocide. Not once, but twice, that body declared unanimously that the practice of genocide is criminal under international law and that States ought to take steps to prevent and punish genocide.”
Clearly, it is not in the interest of the international community to hold Turkey and the Turks fully accountable for their crimes against humanity. The United States valued Turkey’s 1952 entrance into NATO much more than their unambiguous statement only a year earlier. Moreover, the US has pumped billions of dollars into Turkey since to maintain that status. Israel used airspace above confiscated Armenian lands in eastern Anatolia for jet fighter training exercises. Israel too values whatever has remained of Turkish friendship rather than to officially recognize the Turkish genocide of a million and a half Armenians.
In a series of post-genocide successes, Turkey was awarded the Mediterranean region of Alexandretta in 1939 from France’s Syrian Mandate. This was a quid pro quo for Turkey not to side with Nazi Germany as events led to WWII. Regardless, Turkey traded heavily with Nazi Germany until it was clear Germany was on the losing side. Turkey today occupies about 40% of the Island of Cyprus, which it invaded in 1974 and recently has questioned Georgian sovereignty over the Black Sea region of Adjaria. In another wide-scale world conflict, there is every reason to expect Turkey to greatly reduce the geopolitical demographic worth of its Kurdish minority – by the millions – and finish off or absorb what remains of Armenia. Is this paranoia? Well, less than a month ago, Ilham Aliev, the president of Turkey’s closest ally, Azerbaijan, claimed all of Armenia as Azerbaijani land.
One is easily convinced the only way to prevent future genocides on those so threatened, is to be armed to such an extent that committing genocide comes at prohibitively high cost to the perpetrator.
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