EuFoA’s Pick of the Day
Amal Clooney takes on Armenia genocide case in European court
The Telegraph, January 12, 2014, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/armenia/11341003/Amal-Clooney-takes-on-Armenia-genocide-case-in-European-court.html
fter weighing into the Elgin Marbles controversy and theimprisonment of journalists in Egypt, Amal Clooney is to step into another high-profile case – the Armenian genocide.
A century on from the 1915 genocide, in which up to 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered by the Ottoman Turks, the newly wed wife of George Clooney will be part of a legal team representing Armenia in a case involving denial of the genocide by a Turkish politician. Dogu Perincek was found guilty by a Swiss court in 2008 of denying, during a visit to Switzerland, that the genocide ever took place. Mr Perincek, from the Left-wing Turkish Workers’ Party, called the genocide "an international lie" and was fined by the court in Switzerland. He appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which ruled in Dec 2013 that Switzerland had violated his right to free expression.
That appeal is now being challenged by Armenia, with the case to be heard by the Strasbourg court’s 17-member Grand Chamber. The first hearing has been scheduled for Jan 28. The Armenians argue that denying the genocide should be a crime, just as negating the Holocaust of six million Jews is a punishable offence in many countries.
As with the Elgin Marbles case, Mrs Clooney will work alongside her head of chambers, Geoffrey Robertson, QC. Mr Robertson recently published a book on the historical controversy, “An Inconvenient Genocide: Who Now Remembers the Armenians?”. The book, released in October, “proves beyond reasonable doubt that the horrific events of 1915 constituted the crime against humanity that is known today as genocide”, according to the publishers, Random House.
General News on Armenia
Russian Soldier To Stand Trial In Armenia, Says Yerevan
Azatutyun, January 15, 2015, https://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/26794122.html
The Russian soldier who has confessed to the deadly shooting spree in Gyumri will go on trial in Armenia, Prosecutor-General Gevorg Kostanian insisted late on Wednesday after angry protests against the Armenian authorities’ failure to have custody of the suspect.
“I can assure you that the criminal will be prosecuted in the territory of the Republic of Armenia and we all will be able to monitor the entire process of justice,” Kostanian told reporters after an emergency meeting with President Serzh Sarkisian.
“You will witness tomorrow robust actions in that direction by Armenia’s law-enforcement bodies, which I think will make it clear to everyone that Armenia will steadfastly administer the entire process of holding accountable any individual who has committed a crime against a citizen of Armenia,” he said.
Kostanian added that he will travel to Gyumri on Thursday morning to repeat these assurances to local residents outraged by Monday’s killing of six members of a local family. But he did not clarify whether the Russian soldier accused of carrying out the massacre, Valery Permyakov, will remain in Russian military custody until his trial.
Citizens of Gyumri gathered near Russian military base, will wait one day for prosecutor’s
ArmenPress, January 15, 2015https://armenpress.am/eng/news/790330/citizens-of-gyumri-gathered-near-russian-military-base-will-wait-one-day-for-prosecutor%E2%80%99s-response.html
The protest march that citizens of Gyumri began ended peacefully after having moved to the Russian 102 ndmilitary base. Prosecutor of Shirak Province Raffi Aslanyan approached the participants of the march and urged them to move towards the building of the regional prosecutor’s office. Aslanyan mentioned that Permyakov has already been involved in the case as the accused. “This means that we’re carrying out the preliminary investigation in Armenia, regardless of who he’s with.” Aslanyan suggested moving towards the building of the regional prosecutor’s office and discuss the issue there. Afterwards, he contacted Armenia’s Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan and transmitted his words to the participants of the march. “This evening there will be consultations, and they will continue tomorrow morning. The consultations will be followed by a statement on what will happen with the case,” Aslanyan transmitted, as “Armenpress” reports. The prosecutor of Shirak Province assured that investigation into the January 12 murder of the Avetisyans is in progress and that all the culprits will be punished.
Aslanyan suggested meeting near the building of the prosecutor’s office in two days, but the gathered refused and demanded that Permyakov be handed over to Armenian lawenforcement authorities. Journalist Levon Barseghyan said the participants of the march say they will gather on January 15 at 17:00 to get the response from the prosecutor’s office. “We’re waiting until the funeral service ends and for the prosecutors to respond that the trial for the crime that took place outside of the military base needs to be held in Armenia,” Barseghyan said, briefly. Later, the gathered left the entrance to the Russian military base.
World Jewry Cannot Become A Tool in the Hands of Anti-Armenian Propagators
Asbarez, January 14, 2015, https://asbarez.com/130776/world-jewry-cannot-become-a-tool-in-the-hands-of-anti-armenian-propagators/
The history of the two ancient peoples – Armenians and Jews – is full of similarities and mutual contacts, and, even with the utmost effort in the world, one can not derail those relations. Nevertheless, in the existence of a political agenda and irresponsible analysts – one cannot avoid comments based on void arguments, trying to prove the reverse.
The articles by Maxime Gauin and Alexander Murinson in Haaretz, by Arye Gut in JNS.com, and by Alexander Murinson in The Hill are of that kind. The activity and biography of those authors leaves no doubt about the one-sidedness of their analysis. Maxime Gauin, who presents Armenia as an anti-Semitic country, himself publicly supports an ultra-right party in Turkey – the Nationalist Movement Party. Apart from the explicitly employed stance of the denial of the Armenian Genocide, that party is known for propagating anti-Semitism and xenophobia. However, Gauin turns a blind eye to that circumstance. For quite a long time being at the service of the Azerbaijani propaganda machine, Arye Gut is at the same time a member of Azerbaijan-Israel International Association. Alexander Murinson takes for reality the line of his doctoral thesis, that, supposedly Azerbaijan, Turkey and Israel are nothing less than an entente alliance. On the assumption of such a misplaced hypothesis he develops the thesis that the enemy of one of these states is the enemy of all three.
By some strange coincidence, though, that Raoul Contreras, who supports conservative views and who had never published anything on Armenia, Azerbaijan and Jewry, develops the theses of the abovementioned authors in The Hill on January 5, and demonstrates “extensive knowledge” of Israel, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The one-sidedness of the arguments of the aforesaid authors leaves no doubt about the oneness of the source feeding.
NATO Special Representative to arrive in Yerevan
Mediamax, January 14, 2015, https://www.mediamax.am/en/news/society/12817/
NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for South Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai will visit Yerevan on January 15.
Information Center on NATO in Armenia informs that James Appathurai is scheduled to meet with the Armenian President, Foreign and Defense Ministers.
In September 2014, James Appathurai said he was happy about Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s participation in NATO Wales Summit.
“NATO, and I personally, was pleased that President Sargsyan could participate in the NATO Summit. NATO and Armenia have developed substantial practical cooperation over the past year. Your country's forces are currently contributing to our operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo. Armenia stands ready to contribute in principle to the non-combat mission in Afghanistan, which we will start at the beginning of next year. And shortly before the summer, NATO and Armenia have agreed a new NATO-Armenia Individual Partnership Action Plan for 2015 and 2016”, James Appathurai said in his interview to Mediamax.
U.S.-Armenian Energy Deal ‘Back On Track’
Azatutyun, January 14, 2015, https://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/26794031.html
The Armenian government said on Wednesday that it is close to completing the sale of the country’s largest hydroelectric complex to a U.S. energy company, which was controversial delayed last year.
Under the takeover agreement signed in January 2014, the New York-based group ContourGlobal was to pay $180 million for three hydroelectric plants making up the Vorotan Hydro Cascade and invest another US$70m in their modernization. The takeover, strongly welcomed by the U.S. government, was supposed to be formally completed by mid-April.
However, Armenia’s new Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamian, who took over on April 13, put the brakes on the acquisition, saying that some of its provisions run counter to Armenian law and need to be renegotiated.
“All those questions raised by the government have been mostly accepted by the buyer, and the deal is now on track,” Energy and Natural Resources Minister Yervand Zakharian announced at a news conference. “We will most probably complete the deal within a month.”
Armenia appoints first ambassador to ASEAN
News.am, January 15, 2015, https://news.am/eng/news/247821.html
Armenia’s Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Anna Aghajanyan, whose diplomatic residence is in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta, on Wednesday presented her credentials to ASEAN Secretary General Lê Luong Minh.
Welcoming Armenia’s first ambassador to ASEAN, Minh expressed confidence that Aghajanyan will contribute to the development of Armenia-ASEAN cooperation.
The Armenian diplomat, for her part, underscored the integration process in Southeast Asia, and assured that Armenia stands ready to deepen cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its members.
Minister: Government told to prevent electricity tariff rise in 2015
Armenia Now, January 15, 2015, https://www.armenianow.com/economy/59824/armenia_energy_minister_electricity_tariff
The Armenian president ordered the government to do everything in their power to prevent electricity tariff increase this year, despite the fact that the only company providing electricity has accumulated huge debts, as well as the national currency’s devaluation implies a price rise, according to the country’s energy minister.
“The government cannot guarantee tariff maintenance, however we must do everything so that this year the burden on people does not increase. I think that this year the tariffs will not change,” Minister Yervand Zakharyan told reporters on Wednesday, without clarifying the reserves or the resources due to which it will be possible to keep the current tariff unchanged.
He said that his Ministry has developed a program for optimization and increasing the security of the country’s energy system which will make it possible to prevent ungrounded price increases.
General News on Karabakh
OSCE stops monitoring due to shooting from Azerbaijani side
ArmenPress, January 14, 2015, https://armenpress.am/eng/news/790277/osce-stops-monitoring-due-to-shooting-from-azerbaijani-side.html
In accordance with an arrangement reached with the authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring on the Line of Contact between the Armed Forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan. The monitoring was conducted in the vicinity of the village Horadiz in Hadrut region on January 14.
The Karabakh side led the OSCE mission to its frontlines, but due to the shooting fired from the Azerbaijani side, the field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairmanin Office found that it’s necessary to stop the monitoring for security reasons.
The representatives of the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense accompanied the OSCE monitoring mission from the Karabakh side.
Warlick: Armenia and Azerbaijan FMs may meet
News.am, January 14, 2015, https://news.am/eng/news/247693.html
“Any violence along the Line of Contact is destabilizing and, as we witnessed multiple times last year, could lead to a dangerous escalation between the sides.
We travel to the region regularly and want to hear from the sides, but do not have specific dates for our next visit.
There are opportunities to meet with the foreign ministers in the coming weeks, and our hope is that they can meet together to discuss the way forward.
We are also hopeful that the presidents will uphold the commitment they made at the Paris Summit in October 2014 to continue their dialogue.
A negotiated settlement is possible only if the Presidents have the political will to work with each other,” Warlick also stated.
News from International Sources
The Two Faces of Azerbaijan’s Mr. Aliyev
New York Times, January 11, 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/12/opinion/the-two-faces-of-azerbaijans-mr-aliyev.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan does a masterful political Jekyll and Hyde. A cable from the American ambassador to Baku released on WikiLeaks described him as a Michael Corleone-Sonny Corleone figure — referring, respectively, to the coolly calculating and the impetuously violent brothers of the “Godfather” mafia family. Mr. Aliyev is “pro-Western” in many of the ways the West admires: He is suave, well dressed and well spoken in English; he is ready to send his country’s ample supplies of oil and gas to Europe and to Israel; his Islam is moderate and modern; and he hosts lavish international events like the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 and the European Games to be held next June.
He is also hugely corrupt, and his authoritarian regime has one of the world’s worst records on human rights.
Last month, continuing a crackdown on independent media and nongovernmental organizations, police officers raided the offices of the United States-financed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Baku — known locally as Radio Azadliq — taking away computers and documents and sealing the premises. A dozen R.F.E./R.L. employees were detained and questioned.
Mr. Aliyev, of course, is not the only dictator whose skillful politics and control of valuable natural resources have confronted American and European policy makers with what the cable released by WikiLeaks called “a choice between U.S. interests and U.S. values.” His father, Heydar Aliyev, ruled Azerbaijan with an iron hand from 1969 to his death in 2003, first as its Soviet boss and then as its president. The son, assisted by Azerbaijan’s oil wealth, has steadily built on the father’s cult of personality through three questionable elections.
The Heydar Aliyev Era Ends in Azerbaijan Not with a Bang but a Whisper
Brookings, January 13, 2015, https://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2015/01/13-aliyev-era-ends-bang-whisper-azerbaijan-kauzlarich
The end came in a little noticed Russian-language polemic by the long-serving head of Azerbaijan’s Presidential Apparatus, Ramiz Mehdiyev. Ilham Aliyev’s silence on what seems to be a major change in Azerbaijani foreign policy is notable, as is the lack of official reaction in Washington, D.C. U.S.-Azerbaijan relations are clearly now in serious crisis, and indeed have been for some time.
In his article, Mehdiyev asserts that from the beginning of Heydar Aliyev’s presidency, the U.S. was plotting with domestic opposition elements to create a “fifth column” to promote “color revolutions” while pursing a policy of “double standards” to interfere in the internal affairs of states around the world and Azerbaijan in particular. Using non-governmental organizations, the U.S. sought to create an international framework of “active agents” to promote “American democracy.”
Mehdiyev’s article has been accompanied by continuing attacks on the United States in the mainstream Azeri press, and also by raids on the Baku bureau of the U.S.-funded media service, RFE/RL, and arrests of leading journalists with ties to the organization. Independent Azeri analysts, internal opposition figures and groups that have secured international funding, especially from the United States have also been targeted. Over 90 Azeris who fall under these categories—many young, and several women—were arrested during 2014. For some, their purported crime was questioning the vote count in the election that maintained Ilham Aliyev in power. For others, it was expressing critical views of the regime. A number of analysts and opposition activists were also arrested as “traitors” who support Armenia (in reference to Azerbaijan’s long-standing conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh) and/or work for “foreign” (read U.S.) spies. Foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGO) funding activities in Azerbaijan have had their accounts frozen, forcing them to curtail and then close their programs in Azerbaijan. U.S. officials, including congressional staffers, American ambassadors (bilateral and Minsk Group co-chair) and even the U.S. president himself have also been attacked.
The best adventure holidays for 2015
The Guardian, January 13, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jan/10/adventure-holidays-worldwide?CMP=share_btn_fb
In terms of destination one-upmanship, little can beat Nagorno-Karabakh. The mountainous enclave is surrounded by Azerbaijan and under the control of Armenia, although it declared independence (largely unrecognised) in 1991. Border skirmishes and ongoing wrangling for political control mean it is not for the faint-hearted, but the region has a lot to offer: mountain monasteries, archaeological sites, ancient cave settlements and areas of outstanding natural beauty. Regent Holidays has a new 11-day group tour that starts and finishes in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, and includes seven days in Nagorno-Karabakh (departs 21 September and 1 October, from £1,590 including flights).
News on Turkey
Turkey moves to ban Twitter, Facebook again
Hurriyet Daily News, January 14, 2015, https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-moves-to-ban-twitter-facebook-again.aspx?pageID=238&nID=76925&NewsCatID=339
Turkish authorities have warned that all websites publishing alleged records related to Syrian-bound trucks belonging to the Turkish intelligence agency that were stopped by a prosecutor last year will be banned, presaging a possible new ban on Twitter and Facebook.
Twitter has quickly removed the content, while many other websites have not yet complied.
On Jan. 2, 2014, two Syria-bound trucks belonging to Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) were stopped by a prosecutor who sought to have the gendarmerie search the vehicles. The following month, a Turkish court issued a ban on the publication of news related to the incident.
A number of documents were leaked online on Jan. 13. The signed proceedings related to the search allegedly show that arms belonging to MİT were found in the trucks. Speculation has been rife that the arms were destined for jihadists in Syria.
On Jan. 14, Turkey's Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) recalled a March 2014 government decree that banned the coverage of the issue, referring to Law No. 6112.
According to an article in the law, Turkey's prime minister or a cabinet minister has the authority to impose a gag order on the media "in cases obviously required by national security or when public order is very likely to be broken."
Turkish officials, now equipped with the authority to block websites even without a court ruling, warned Jan. 14 that the gag order would be strictly imposed on the Internet. Any website, including Facebook and Twitter, will be blocked if they do not remove the leaked documents.
European Parliament urges Turkey to respect freedom of press
Harriyet Daily News, January 15, 2015, https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/european-parliament-urges-turkey-to-respect-freedom-of-press.aspx?pageID=238&nID=76964&NewsCatID=339
The European Parliament has criticized the Dec. 14, 2014 operation against TV stations and newspapers with alleged links to Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, in a joint motion that is set to be voted on Jan. 15, also recalling that “a free and pluralistic press is an essential component of any democracy.”
The resolution titled “Freedom of expression in Turkey: Recent arrests of journalists, media executives and systematic pressure against media” condemns the recent police raids and the detention of a number of journalists and media representatives on Dec. 14, 2014 in Turkey, stressing that “these actions call into question the respect for the rule of law and freedom of the media.”
“A free and pluralistic press is an essential component of any democracy,” said the resolution, which called on Turkey to “provide ample and transparent information on the allegations against the defendants, to grant the defendants full access to the incriminating evidence and full defense rights, and to ensure the proper handling of the cases to establish the veracity of the accusations without delay and beyond reasonable doubt.”
Israeli foreign minister calls Erdoğan ’anti-Semitic bully’
Today’s Zaman, January 14, 2015, https://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_israeli-foreign-minister-calls-erdogan-anti-semitic-bully_369831.html
Israel's foreign minister called Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan an "anti-Semitic bully" in a meeting with Israeli ambassadors on Wednesday and said Europe was being cowardly in not taking him on.
In an address to Israeli envoys based in Europe and Asia, Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of far-right party Yisrael Beitenu, was withering about Erdoğan, a staunch critic of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians.
"Civilized, politically correct Europe's silence over an anti-Semitic, neighborhood bully like Erdoğan and his gang takes us back to the 1930s," said Lieberman, referring to the persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany.
"We have to tell the truth and speak plainly, put it on the table," he said.
News from Azerbaijani Sources
Azerbaijani defense minister receives EU special representative
Apa, January 14, 2015,https://en.apa.az/news/221681
Defense Minister of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov has received a delegation led by Mr Herbert Salber, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, the Defense Ministry’s press service told APA.
During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the military-political situation in the region, issues of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and some other problems of common interest.
The Guardian publishes protest letter of Azerbaijani ambassador
News.az, January 15, 2014, https://www.news.az/articles/politics/94982
“The inclusion of Nagorno-Karabakh in the article is disrespectful to the people of Azerbaijan”.
The Guardian has published a letter of protest sent by Tahir Taghizadeh, Ambassador of Azerbaijan in London regarding the inclusion of Azerbaijan’s occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region in an article on “the best new adventures for 2015” published by the newspaper on January 10.
Taghizadeh said inclusion of Nagorno-Karabakh in the article is disrespectful to the people of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani President meets Prime Minister of Turkey
Apa, January 15, 2015, https://en.apa.az/xeber_azerbaijani_president_ilham_aliyev_met_p_221689.html
The parties expressed satisfaction with the development of Azerbaijani-Turkish bilateral relations in a variety of fields, including economic, energy and transport ones. The importance of joint projects was emphasized, particularly the Baku-Tbilisi-Karsrailway project. The parties noted that Azerbaijani-Turkish ties were contributing to the strengthening of regional cooperation, APAreports.
The sides noted the necessity of solving the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in a just manner, within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The parties expressed their confidence that the friendly relations between the two countries would further expand.
Then President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had a joint dinner.
Hearings on ‘human rights situation in US: paradoxes of country’s foreign policy’ start in Baku
Apa, January 15, 2015, https://en.apa.az/news/221717
The hearings on “the human rights situation in the United States: paradoxes of the country’s foreign policy” are being held with the support of the Council of State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
MPs, representatives of political parties, NGO leaders and media representatives are attending the event.
Delivering opening remarks at the event, Council Chairman Azay Guliyev said in recent months, public institutions, including a number of agencies in the United States have been making biased statements regarding Azerbaijan, taking positions that do not meet the strategic cooperation between the two countries.
“The Azerbaijani community is concerned about these statements. The Council has already received appeals on such an approach by the U.S. toward Azerbaijan. In this regard we decided to hold hearings to discuss the human rights situation in the U.S. NGO and political party leaders, MPs and analysts were invited to the event. We also would like to clarify the paradoxes in the US’s policy regarding Azerbaijan. Why do think tanks in the U.S. target Azerbaijan since the Guantanamo Bay detention camp is still open, and human rights are violated in Fergusson?”