Armenian News... A Topalian... Azeri Shelling
RFE/RL Report
Karabakh Warns Baku After `Azeri Shelling'
October 23, 2017
Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian-backed military threatened "painful"
retaliation on Monday as it accused Azerbaijani forces of shelling its
frontline positions for the first time in two months.
The Defense Army claimed that they fired five mortar shells and one
anti-tank rocket in northeastern Karabakh on Sunday. It released video
footage purportedly showing two such shells exploding in a field and
the Israeli-made Spike rocket flying over a Karabakh military facility
and hitting the ground.
In a statement, the Karabakh army warned that it will retaliate in a
"disproportionate and quite painful" fashion if the Azerbaijani side
continues such "deliberate provocations."
Another statement issued by it later in the day said Azerbaijani
forces fired another Spike rocket at a different section of "the line
of contact" around Karabakh on Monday afternoon. It said Karabakh
Armenian troops again did not shoot back "in order not to deepen
tension" on the frontlines.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry dismissed the first Karabakh
statement as "slander." It said that the Armenians themselves resorted
to a "provocation" by killing an Azerbaijani soldier on Sunday. The
ministry did not specify the frontline section where the soldier,
identified as Jabbar Zeynalov, died.
The truce violations were reported one week after a meeting of
Armenia's and Azerbaijan's presidents held in Geneva. In a joint
statement issued there, their foreign ministers and international
mediators said Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev "agreed to take
measures to intensify the negotiation process and to take additional
steps to reduce tensions on the Line of Contact."
Just three days after the Geneva summit, an Armenian soldier was
killed in Karabakh by Azerbaijani sniper fire. Armenia's ruling party
responded by accusing Baku of "trying to walk away" from the
understandings reached in Geneva. Still, Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian made clear on Friday that Yerevan will not avoid further
talks with Baku.
The joint statement released in Genevan said the U.S., Russian and
French mediators co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group will soon hold
follow-up "working sessions" with Nalbandian and Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
MediaMax, Armenia
Oct 24 2017
Armenian President: You can’t shoot and negotiate at the same time
President Sargsyan said this during the session, dedicated to the start of new educational program at Armenian National Defense Research University.
“You either negotiate or shoot, and we are ready for both cases,” Serzh Sargsyan said.
According to him, the negotiations should be held only in case of mutual trust, built by adhering to ceasefire regime, while any provocation may block the process.
Serzh Sargsyan stressed two circumstances on NK issue.
“First of all, currently we do not intend to announce or solve any military issue in Artsakh. We have provided long ago almost full protection of peaceful civilians from constant fire of the rival. Among other conditions, the peaceful settlement of NK issue should completely exclude the possibility of military threats against peaceful population.
Secondly, NK issue has no military solution,” President Sargsyan said.
According to Serzh Sargsyan, the Azerbaijani side has persistently tried to show that Armenia has allegedly violated certain agreements after the negotiations in Geneva.
“I am looking forward to our next meeting with my counterpart to ask him: “What exactly was our fault?” Moreover, the allegations are made by people, who are not at all supposed to know the details of our conversations with Azerbaijani President. We had an agreement of non-disclosure, so I would like to know how his assistants or, I don’t know, deputies or others could possibly know what we had discussed during the meeting. I can assure that I have not said a single word to anyone on our conversation. We negotiated in Geneva and agreed on weakening tensions, but that does not mean that Artsakh people’s strive for independence should somehow weaken too. Frankly speaking, everything seems quite strange to me,” President of Armenia said.
Serzh Sargsyan emphasized that the Armenian side has not accomplished any act of revenge or collective punishment.
“Nevertheless, we are committed to responding against any military loss.
NK issue is of no ethical or religious nature. We do not have anything against people of Azerbaijan, let alone Muslims in general. We are convinced that Azerbaijani people also want peace, but they need to move that desire into the right direction,” Armenian President announced.
MediaMax, Armenia
Oct 24 2017
Armenia to develop a 7-year modernization program for the army
Yerevan/Mediamax/. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan delivered a comprehensive speech at the opening session of the Armenian National Defense Research University’s new educational program today.
Mediamax offers the most notable excerpts from the President’s speech.
7-year program for modernization of the army
“Today I set the task of developing a seven-year program for modernization of the Armenian army, which will take place between 2018 and 2025. We have to realize this program all together: I as the Commander-in-Chief, the Minister of Defense, the General Staff, our soldiers, and the whole society.
I instruct the Minister of Defense to prepare a report on the program-related efforts within two months. Once discussions and necessary changes to the draft are completed, we will adopt the program on 28 January 2018, on the day of our army’s anniversary.
The program must be among key issues for our country in this stage, if not the main issue. Our army, already combat ready, has to reach an exceptional level in these seven years.
The first important area of focus of this modernization is the smooth shift to new management model for the armed forces, which is conditioned by the constitutional amendments. The draft Law on Defense, up for discussion at the National Assembly these few days, solves the most important, although only the first part of the issue, i.e. the legislative part. Afterwards, scrupulous work will be required to realize development and introduction of sub-legal acts and implementation of practical steps in correct order.
Modernization of the army also covers the level of discipline, weapons, soldiers’ social issues, i.e. the entire complex of army-related issues. We always worked on that, but now the task is to accelerate these processes, ensuring rapid development. We have to work quickly,” said the President.
“As you know, the next year’s budget will see a drastic increase in military expenditure. However, the increase won’t be just for a year, as we will make it continuous. You are well-aware that our weapons had a drastic increase in amount and quality in recent years. We will continue working in that direction. We will have new, essential achievements in that regard every year.”
Solution for army officers’ housing issue
“The new draft Law on Army Service will essentially review the housing issue of the officer personnel. Experience shows that the queue program, which goes on for years, poses multiple corruption risks and enervates the officers instead of solving the housing issue, is not effective. We can try to shift to a program of affordable mortgage. Although it would create additional financial burden for the state budget, I instructed to do a detailed research and find a solution. I am almost certain that we’ll be able to introduce the new program on January 1.
We are also ready to find a co-financing source for those officers who want to sign up for the pension fund. The preliminary estimation allows us to anticipate that an officer, who invests 5% of monthly salary and retires at 65, will have the pension equal to what an officer holding position similar to the retiree will earn at the given moment.”
ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
October 23, 2017 Monday
In the Armenian capital preparations are in progress for the summit
of Francophonie, the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Armenia and
the 2800th anniversary of the founding of Yerevan
Marianna Mkrtchyan.
As the press service of the Armenian leader told ArmInfo, earlier,
with the purpose of organizing work on the preparation and holding of
the above-mentioned events, commissions were set up by decrees of the
President of the Republic, their personnel were approved and
commissions were given commissions.
At the beginning of the meeting, Sargsyan stressed that all three
events are of special importance and should be conducted impeccably,
at a very high organizational level. "In fact, the summit of
Francophonia will be the largest since the independence of Armenia,
with the participation of the heads of state of Francophonie, numerous
high-level delegations. It is expected that more than 100 delegations
and up to fifty heads of state will attend the summit. should testify
to the soundness of our state bodies, "the Armenian President said.
Report on the preparations for the summit of Francophonia scheduled
for October 11-12, 2010 in Yerevan and the fulfillment of the
president's instructions for the preparatory work was reported by the
Minister of Foreign Affairs, deputy chairman of the commission created
by the decree of Sargsyan Edward Nalbandian. The next question on the
agenda is the progress of preparatory works for the events dedicated
to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Armenia and the May heroic
battles, reported the defense minister, deputy chairman of the jubilee
commission Vigen Sargsyan. The mayor of Yerevan, the deputy chairman
of the next state commission, Taron Margaryan, reported on preparatory
works for the anniversary events of the 2800th anniversary of the
founding of Yerevan. -v-
At the end of the meeting,Sargsyan commissioned a three-week period to
summarize all the proposals received from the interested bodies and
present detailed programs of activities, indicating the responsible
for implementation and clear financial calculations. The President
also gave a number of instructions related to organizational work.
The Armenian Weekly
Oct 24 2017
Hrant Dink Foundation to Receive 2017 Chirac Prize for Conflict Prevention
PARIS—The Chirac Foundation has announced that its 2017 Chirac Prize for Conflict Prevention will be awarded to the Istanbul-based Hrant Dink Foundation.
“[The] Hrant Dink Foundation defines the development of a culture of dialogue, empathy, and peace as the basis of all its activities,” read a part of the statement released by the foundation. The decision came after the Chirac Foundation’s Sept. 27 convention.
“[Dink’s] family, instead of withdrawing into itself and bearing the feelings of animosity and revenge, established the foundation, which has become an indispensable actor in the debates on Turkey’s democratization. At a time when hundreds of thousands of refugees are passing through the territories of Turkey, the foundation’s preemptive efforts to eradicate hate speech in the media through discourse analysis, media monitoring, and education programs do constitute an immediate and determined act for preventing conflicts,” the statement went on.
During the prize ceremony, which will be held on Nov. 23, will be attended by the Jury members and selection committee as well as the international media and leading opinion makers that pursue rights-based advocacy.
The Chirac Foundation will also present its Culture for Peace Prize to Zoukak Theater Company, which has been contributing, through theater, to the rehabilitation efforts of refugees living in Lebanon camps.
“Chirac Foundation’s recognition has given us encouragement and strength to continue our efforts of contributing to the democratization of Turkey through our foundation, which carries out its activities with the support and engagement of a range of individuals from different professions and strives to keep alive the dreams, struggle, language and heart of my husband Hrant Dink – who was taken away from us in 2007,” said Rakel Dink, the President of Hrant Dink Foundation, who will accept the prize from French President Emmanuel Macron.
Armenpress News Agency, Armenia
October 23, 2017 Monday
Develop scientific tourism: Byurakan Observatory works on increasing
tourism flow
Armenia has great potential to develop scientific tourism, Areg Mikayelyan
“Already meetings were held with the State Tourism Committee. The
discussions focused on issues to develop scientific tourism in Armenia
considering the scientific places, institutions, archeological sities,
museums and etc. Armenia is very rich of its scientific heritage and
current potential. It is necessary to present the country as a rich
scientific heritage and a state with great scientific potential”, Areg
Mikayelyan said. In this regard he considered the Byurakan Observatory
as an important link which can be interesting for tourists.
“If we look at the scientific sites of different countries, the
experience shows that tourists mainly prefer observatories among them.
There are countries with great attractiveness where tourists are
mainly interested in observatories. Now we can organize the same
here”, he said.
The Observatory has already started working with tourism companies,
they are trying to develop joint tour packages. Visits of tourism
companies to the Observatory have been organized aimed at
understanding the opportunities. Areg Mikayelyan said the tourism
companies gave their recommendations in terms of creating conditions
and providing infrastructures.
Today as well tourists visit the Byurakan Observatory, but these
visits are not organized.
“These visits are not well organized. I am sure that in case of
organizing we will be able to increase the number of visits for
several times. By this we will contribute to increasing the interest
of tourists towards Armenia’s scientific heritage, potential”, he
said.
The Byurakan Observatory hosts more than 10.000 visitors annually, but
the visits are mainly from Armenian educational institutions. Tourists
mainly are from US, Russia, Iran, Georgia, Ukraine and etc. At the
moment works are being done to include the Observatory in tour
packages.
ARKA, Armenia
Oct 24 2017
Armenia’s grape production drops by 20 percent in 2017
Armenia’s grape production in 2017 has seen a 20% drop from the previous year, according to Areg Harutyunyan, the head of the National Wine Center. Speaking to a news conference today, he claimed that the output declined to some 90,000 metric tons, primarily because the farmers were unable to protect their vineyards in a timely and proper manner from winter frosts due to lack of finance.
He said the official figures usually overstate the grape production putting it between 200,000 and 300,000 tons. However, according to the estimates of the National Wine Center, the production never exceeds 100,000 tons. He said the drop is to be blamed partly on the decreasing number of wine producers.
"Up to 32,000 families were engaged in the production of grapes, however, because of the low grape output in 2016, the problems concerning the sale of grapes, their number slashed by 4,000," Harutyunyan said. But according to the National Statistical Service, wine production in the first 8 months of 2017 surged by 35.2% year-on-year to 5.1 million liters.
Asked to explain why the production of wine increased as the output dropped Harutyunyan noted that this may have several explanations. "First, producers could have used wine alcohol stored in previous years, and secondly, production of fruit wines could have increased," the expert said.
European Court Finds Catholicosate’s Suit
Inadmissible; and Could Not be Appealed
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia (headquartered in Antelias, Lebanon) filed a lawsuit on April 25, 2015, against the government of Turkey seeking the return of its historic seat in Sis (present-day Kozan district of the Adana Province) which was confiscated in 1921.
The first of its kind lawsuit was filed in the Constitutional Court of the Turkish Republic because the claim raised issues of property rights that lower courts would not have jurisdiction to overturn the maze of laws adopted by Turkey in 1915 and succeeding years. At the recommendation of the Justice Ministry of Turkey, the Constitutional Court referred the Armenian Church lawsuit to the lower courts. The lawyers for the Catholicosate of Cilicia, however, decided to appeal the case directly to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, France, on December 8, 2016.
The issue of sidestepping submission of the Catholicosate’s lawsuit to a lower court in Turkey is critical in view of the requirements of the European Court of Human Rights that before any case is brought to the ECHR, all local legal remedies must first be exhausted, starting with the lowest court and ending with the highest court of the country being sued.
On October 19, 2017, addressing the conference of the Armenian Cause in the European Parliament in Brussels, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia criticized the single judge from ECHR who had rejected the Armenian Church’s lawsuit finding it inadmissible. Until this announcement, there was no news about the status of the lawsuit. I contacted the ECHR headquarters in Strasbourg inquiring about the Armenian Church’s claim. I was informed that a single judge indeed has the authority to reject any lawsuit, which in this case was not first submitted to a lower court in Turkey in order to exhaust all local remedies, and that the letter of rejection was sent to the Catholicosate in March 2017. More ominously, I was told by ECHR that the judge’s decision could not be appealed!
I then contacted Payam Akhavan, a member of the Catholicosate’s legal team and Professor of International Law at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, inquiring why no announcement was made earlier by the Catholicosate regarding the rejection of the lawsuit six months ago. Prof. Akhavan explained that the ECHR judge had sent the letter to the wrong address! The Catholicosate then wrote to that judge “expressing serious concern on miscarriage of justice; that a single judge could throw out what was clearly a well-argued case, and waited until recently for a standard response that there is no appeal, and the decision is final.”
In his Brussels speech on Oct. 19, 2017, Catholicos Aram the First harshly condemned the ECHR for rejecting the Church’s lawsuit: “Why would the European Court of Human Rights so easily reject our case knowing that no lawyer would dare to bring such a case before the Turkish courts? How could a single judge throw out a 900-page Application, historically and legally well substantiated by some of the best international lawyers? Why was our legal team not given a chance for a hearing? Is everybody now afraid to confront Turkey’s appalling record of human rights violations? We are astonished and, in fact, deeply disappointed at this miscarriage of justice, particularly at this crucial juncture of modern history when Europe is expected, in faithfulness to its values and principles, to consider justice above geopolitical interests…. Europe is essentially a community of values, not merely political and economic interests. Therefore, I still hope that the European Court of Human Rights will reconsider the admissibility of the case on the basis of justice and human rights. In spite of the denial of justice, the Armenian people will continue to struggle for justice.”
Prof. Akhavan called the ECHR judge’s decision “scandalous.” He then added in his email to me: “By the measure of several highly experienced ECHR lawyers, this decision is totally unacceptable. It shouldn’t be forgotten that our counsel was Tim Eicke QC [Queen’s Counsel], who is now the British judge on the ECHR. He of course is conflicted from involvement in the case, but there is a sense among many that the Court is too afraid of confronting post-coup Turkey with such controversial cases.”
Prof. Akhavan also stated that the next steps for this lawsuit “are either to re-submit the case with some new facts such as the impossibility of going back to the Turkish courts under current circumstances, or to go back to the Turkish courts, waste a lot of resources, and come back to the ECHR once again. It is a ludicrous decision because everybody knows that is exactly what will happen. It is a hot potato the ECHR doesn’t want to handle….”
In conclusion, I would suggest that the Catholicosate of Cilicia make public the complete files of its lawsuit, including the 600-page submission to the Turkish Constitutional Court and its response, and the 900-page filing to the European Court of Human Rights and its response. After all, this is not a private lawsuit, but one dealing with the Armenian nation’s property demands from Turkey!
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