Independent: Armenia Emerging From Troubled Times

Is ‘Reconciliation’ Compatible with Justice?

June 2, 2010

By Lucine Kasbarian

On Wednesday May 12, at the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) in Watertown, Massachusetts, editors Emil Sanamyan of the Armenian Reporter and Khatchig Mouradian of theArmenian Weekly spoke about their recent trip to Turkey sponsored by TEPAV – a Turkish think tank that has recently been promoting Turkish-Armenian relations. TEPAV is funded by TOBB, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey.

 ALMA Executive Director Mariam Stepanyan welcomed the audience after which moderator Marc Mamigonian, Academic Affairs Director of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), opened by noting that there was no formal title for the evening’s program because the trip was not necessarily part of what would be termed “Turkish-Armenian reconciliation or relations.”  Read more... (3096 words)

Davit of Sassoon is Undefeated or Once More on Foreign Language-Medium Schools in Armenia

June 2, 2010

By Ara Papian – Head, “Modus Vivendi” Center

The changes proposed by the Government to the law on language has recently become subject to heated public debate. It is natural and good that society express many opinions. This implies that we are gradually surmounting the legacy of the not-too-distant past. It is unfortunate, however, that those in favour of the chan­ges to the law are not putting forth reasonable counter-arguments to the political, legal, economic, psychologi­cal and cultural facts presented by their opponents, but are instead simply warping the essence of the issue in attempting to present the case as a manifestation of xenophobia and advocacy for self-imposed isolationism.  Read more... (1708 words)

Armenian Bread Price Set For Further Rise

August 6, 2010

The price of bread in Armenia looked set on Friday to soar further following the Russian government’s decision to ban all grain exports because of a severe drought that has devastated crops across Russia.

Armenian National Committtee of America (ANCA) Disbelieves Matthew Bryza Will Stand in The Way of Aliyev’s March To War

August 6, 2010

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian commented on recent statement by political observer David Petrosian, who was cited as saying, “soonest appointment of a new U.S. ambassador to Armenia, – be it Matthew Bryza or someone else, is important in restraining Azerbaijan’s ambitions.”

Aram Hamparian responded as follows, “Just to be clear, this is the same Mr. Bryza who was the primary U.S. adviser to the Georgian government of Mikheil Saakashvili as he stumbled into war with Russia; the same diplomat with controversial ties to top Azerbaijani leaders (Foreign Minister Elmar Mammedyarov served as a groomsman in his Istanbul wedding to Caspian energy expert/advocate Zeyno Baran), the same nominee backed by senior Azerbaijanis close to the Aliyev regime and by leaders of the Azerbaijani American community, and; the same U.S. official who has, for more than a decade, turned a blind eye to Azerbaijani threats, military aggression, and acts of cultural desecration.  Read more... (276 words)

I Believe You Will: Mammadyarov and Davutoglu Discussed Karabakh Conflict

August 6, 2010

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov hopes that his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu will take very useful initiatives in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, reports Azerbaijani news agency Trend.

“Turkey is highly respected in the international arena, and therefore I believe that Ahmet Davutoglu will take very useful initiatives in the Karabakh settlement”, Mammadyarov said at a joint press conference following a summit of Turkic-speaking countries.

The summit was held in Bodrum town in western Turkish province of Mugla on Thursday bringing together foreign ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.