Armenian News - sent by A Topalian
Video from Aleppo
(watch Armenian interview in the middle in particular)
Grgin hay lerakroghi haghortume haleben, megnapanutyune tsezi.
Ե՞րբ կհնչի սիրիահայերի SOS-ը http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTugrrA42xE&feature=autoplay&list=ULq56vrsoVZDE&playnext=5
THREE ARMENIANS KILLED IN SYRIA
August 29, 2012 - 00:00 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - According to the Armenian Diocese in Damascus,
Syria, three Armenian nationals were killed in one of the city's
districts Tuesday, Aug 28.
As spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry Tigran Balayan told
PanARMENIAN.Net the killed Armenians were identified as Petros
Matosian, born in 1963, Gevork Matosian, born in 1966 and Levon
Matosian, born in 1990.
Currently, the Diocese representatives are trying to get bodies out
of the battle zone.
TURKEY SLAMS FRANCE FOR PROMOTING HATE SPEECH WITH
GENOCIDE INITIATIVE
Today's Zaman
Aug 27 2012
Turkey
The chairman of the Turkish Parliament's powerful education committee
has accused the French government of planting the seeds of hate with
its move to include the so-called "Armenian genocide" in history and
geography books used in French secondary schools.
Nabi Avcı, chairman of the National Education, Culture, Youth and
Sports Commission, told Today's Zaman in a phone interview on Monday
that "the erosion of French culture and moving to the radical right in
French politics that started with [former president Nicolas] Sarkozy
continues to have a negative impact on the French education system."
"I just hope that sensible French intellectuals will raise their
voices against this kind of provocative move that will plant seeds
of hate into minds of young people in France," he added.
A Turkish daily reported on Sunday that the French Education Ministry
has decided to include chapters about the so-called "Armenian genocide"
in history and geography books used in French secondary schools --
a move that could once again upset relations with Turkey, which
was hopeful about rebuilding strained ties with Paris following the
election of the new president, Francois Hollande.
French students studying world history since 1910 will also read
a chapter called "The Armenian Genocide." Hollande said last month
that he will stand by a campaign pledge to make it illegal to deny
that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 was genocide.
Relations between Paris and Ankara had begun to thaw after a decision
in February by France's constitutional court to strike down the
genocide denial law as contrary to free speech.
Turkey had canceled all economic, political and military meetings with
France in December after the French parliament voted in favor of the
draft law. At a joint news conference early in July, French Foreign
Minister Laurent Fabius said the law was unlikely to be resurrected
and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu hailed the opening of
a warmer phase in relations with France.
Armenia, backed by many historians, says that about 1.5 million
Armenians were killed in what is now eastern Turkey during World War
I in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered by the Ottoman government.
Turkey says there was heavy loss of life on both sides during the
fighting, in which Armenian partisans supported invading Russian
forces. The Ottoman Empire collapsed after the war. Successive Turkish
governments and the vast majority of Turks feel the charge of genocide
is an insult to their nation.
Turkey hoped Hollande's election might mean France is more open to its
joining the European Union than under his conservative predecessor
Sarkozy, but has so far received no public support for its EU bid
from Paris.
History-Geography Teachers Council Secretary-General Hubert Tison
has said the chapter in the textbooks is devoted to giving detailed
information on the so-called "Armenian genocide."
Tison criticized as "redundant" the inclusion of the chapter, which
will explain in detail the genocide, ethnic structure of the Ottoman
Empire, rule of Talat Pasha and policies of nationalist Turks and
purported exiles. The chapter will also include the numbers of
Armenians who were killed, exiled or sent to death.
Turkish Education Ministry officials said they will first need to
examine the book and see if it includes phrases that incriminate
Turkey and they will respond in line with international law through
diplomatic channels. The officials said both countries earlier
established commissions composed of experts to remove discriminatory
phrases in textbooks and accused the French government of making what
they said is a "politically motivated" move.
RFE/RL Report
Armenian Athletes Gear Up For London Paralympics
Nane Sahakian
27.08.2012
Two athletes representing Armenia will take part in the 2012
Paralympic Games that will kick off in London later this week.
Greta Vartanian in weightlifting and Margarita Hovakimian in swimming
will be among some 4,200 athletes from 166 nations who will converge
on the British capital to compete in as many as 21 sports from August
29 to September 9.
Vartanian, 26, took part in the Paralympic Games in Beijing four years
ago, while her 17-year-old teammate Hovakimian will be making her
Paralympic debut in London.
According to the Games' schedule, the competition days for Vartanian
and Hovakimian will be September 1 and September 5, respectively.
Hovakimian, who swam 100 meters within 2 minutes and 17 seconds during
the qualification for the Games, said she is training hard to be able
to improve the result to 1 minute and 55 seconds at the competitions
in London.
`I'm going [to London] with great enthusiasm. I am not afraid, even
though this is the first time [in Paralympics] for me. I will do my
best to ensure a result that will be good at least for me and my
coach,' the young Paralympian told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am).
The chairman of the Paralympic Committee of Armenia, Hakob
Abrahamian, described both Hovakimian and Vartanian as being well
prepared for the competitions, but stopped short of promising
medals. `I do have some expectations. I won't say it will be medals,
but we'll do everything to ensure our best performance,' said
Abrahamian.
Armenian athletes have not won any medals in summer and winter
Paralympics before. The best results shown by Armenian Paralympians so
far were fourth places won in weightlifting and alpine skiing
competitions.
Abrahamian said additional funding could raise the profile of disabled
sports in Armenia. `Participation in the Games is based on the
results shown in rating competitions, but participating in these
competitions involves large expenses for athletes. We don't have
enough funding to be able to send more athletes to the Paralympics,'
said the sport official.
The government of Armenia has allocated only 5.8 million drams (about
$14,000) worth of assistance to athletes participating in the
forthcoming Paralympic Games.
`Armenian disabled athletes have a great potential and if the
government funding increases, we will have greater participation in
the Games,' said Abrahamian, adding that among disabled sports that
have a potential for development in Armenia are basketball, sailing,
swimming, weightlifting, table tennis and others.
No television channel in Armenia is going to broadcast the Paralympic
events from London.
Meanwhile, the British hosts of the Games are expected to organize
them at the level comparable to the Olympic Games that were held in
London earlier this summer. The Paralympic competitions are due to
take place at the same venues that hosted Olympic events.
`It's going to be a spectacular event. There will be another flame in
the stadium, the opening and closing ceremonies,' said Abrahamian.
RFE/RL Report
School Shopping Too Costly For Some Armenian Families
Elen Chilingaryan
28.08.2012
The approaching start of a new academic year may be a source of
excitement for many schoolchildren and their parents, but it also
comes as an additional strain on low-income families having to buy
clothes, stationery and other school supplies for their kids.
It costs at least 40,000 drams (about $100) to provide a first-former
with basic school supplies in Armenia - an amount that many
cash-strapped parents say is a significant burden considering their
meagre monthly budgets.
According to official data, about a third of Armenia's nearly
three-million-strong population lives in poverty, surviving on less
than $3 a day. Unemployment is also very high in the country.
Parents together with their children going around shops and markets
looking for more affordable options to buy clothes and school supplies
for their kids are not rare scenes in Yerevan ahead of the new
academic year that starts on September 1.
Many of the parents of future first-formers shopping for school
supplies complained in interviews with RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am) that equipping their children for school proved rather
expensive, considering their modest earnings.
`It costs between 50,000 and 70,000 drams (about $120-$170) to buy
supplies for one child who goes to school for the first time. It's
quite a round sum of money, especially if only one of the parents
works in the family... It's really very hard,' said one parent.
`If you want your child to have decent clothes, you have to pay up to
100,000 drams (about $240), and if you cannot afford to pay that much
money, you need at least 40,000 drams,' said another parent. `Many
cannot afford it. It's very expensive, but if you want your child to
feel good and feel good yourself, you try to do it.'
Prices for school bags at most Yerevan stores range from 3,000 to
13,000 drams (about $7-$30) these days, while shirts, skirts and pants
are available at anything between 6,000 and 15,000 drams. A minimal
set of stationery and traditional flowers for teachers will add to the
expense.
`You start saving up in advance, depriving yourself of something so
that your kid does not fall behind in anything,' said one buyer.
Meanwhile, the start of classes does not seem quite affordable for
some of the parents of higher grade pupils either. One mother of two
schoolchildren, who are starting their sixth and second years in
school next month, complained that one piece of clothing alone cost
her 15,000 drams.
`We haven't purchased other things yet. We estimate that the shopping
cost will total 200,000 drams,' she said. `This is quite a sum. And
it's only for September. We should also consider other expenses that
arise during the year.'
TURKEY, NAGORNO-KARABAKH AND THE SOUTH CAUCASUS
Today's Zaman
Aug 28 2012
Turkey
At the end of last week, Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ~_lu was
quoted as saying he wanted Azerbaijan and Armenia to meet in Turkey
to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict because Ankara believes its
current policies, aimed at regional conflict settlement, have made
Turkey a leader in the region.
With the Syrian crisis and all the chaos that is presently going on
in the region, including the new wave of violence committed by the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), it seems a bit strange that DavutoÄ~_lu
would suddenly decide to raise the Karabakh issue. Furthermore,
the very suggestion is unrealistic and something of a non-starter,
simply because Turkey is not viewed as a neutral actor.
Therefore, the reaction from the deputy foreign minister of Armenia,
Shavarsh Kocharyan, came as little surprise. Kocharyan responded:
â~@~\For the resolution of the conflict it would be productive if
Turkey could encourage Azerbaijan to negotiate with the real party to
the conflict, Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey at least should not continue
to support the everything-or-nothing position of Azerbaijan. If
the Turkish minister of foreign affairs truly wants to support the
settlement of the conflict, Turkey should not attempt to distort the
While I would agree that Turkey cannot take on a role as mediator
because it supports Azerbaijan's arguments, at the same time such a
response from Armenia would make one believe that Yerevan is working
around the clock to find a solution, which is clearly not the case.
Yerevan is not unhappy with the status quo. It continues to control the
internationally recognized Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh as
well as occupying a further seven surrounding provinces, with Yerevan
facing very little international criticism or external pressure. For
Azerbaijan, an independent Karabakh is not an option.
For Armenia, it is the only option. As the clocks ticks along,
the more entrenched the problem becomes, making the status quo more
difficult to change. This in turn leads to greater frustration in Baku
and more talk of taking back its lands by military force, which in
turn increases the siege mentality in Yerevan, locking the conflict
into a vicious circle. Turkey, being close to Azerbaijan and having
no diplomatic ties with Armenia, is far from well-placed to play a
mediating role in the conflict.
More broadly, Turkey would like to increase its influence in the
South Caucasus, a region of growing geostrategic importance and,
to this end, over the last few years, Turkey has strengthened ties
economically, politically and vis--vis security with both Azerbaijan
and Georgia. Ankara really stepped up efforts in the aftermath of the
August 2008 Russo-Georgia War, which shattered the political status
quo in the region. Turkey launched two initiatives that it hoped would
bring about greater regional stability as well as allowing Turkey to
play a larger role in regional conflicts, such as Nagorno-Karabakh.
The first was the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform and the
second a process of rapprochement with Armenia, with which Turkey has
had a closed border and no diplomatic ties since 1993. Both of these
initiatives also came at a time when Ankara's relations with Russia
were witnessing a dramatic improvement. Indeed, Turkey's foreign
policy in the South Caucasus will be considerably shaped by Ankara's
relations with Russia and, to a lesser extent, the EU as it takes on
a great role there.
Alas, Ankara miscalculated and neither initiative bore fruit. The
failed rapprochement with Armenia -- principally a consequence of
Turkey deciding to link it to progress over Karabakh -- only served
to increase regional tensions and undermine international efforts
to resolve the Karabakh conflict, resulting in a stalling of peace
talks and increased cease-fire violations. Turkey underestimated the
reaction of Azerbaijan to rapprochement with Yerevan and the ability
of the Armenian diaspora to pressure Armenia's leadership. Ankara's
credibility was damaged, relations with Azerbaijan were shaken and
Armenia's leadership declared Turkey dishonest and not to be trusted.
While Azerbaijan and Turkey repaired and even deepened their ties,
Yerevan went on to further increase security ties with Moscow, with
any new Turkish initiatives viewed more skeptically than ever.
As for the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform -- aimed at
building confidence via the creation of a forum to establish dialogue
among the three countries of the South Caucasus, Turkey and Russia --
it never really got off the ground. Launched without much thought,
it received very little enthusiasm from most of those invited to join
and excluded important international actors such as the EU and US.
Therefore, it never really got off the starting block. If Turkey is
really serious about being a credible regional player, it needs to
find a way of getting its rapprochement with Armenia back on track
and without making any link to Nagorno-Karabakh, given that it has
been duly recognized that Ankara has no role to play in the solution
of this conflict.
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