7. LUNDI 4 NOVEMBRE 2013 / MONDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2013 • ABAKA • 7
ABAKA
S E C T I O N
F R A N Ç A I S E
LUNDI 4 NOVEMBRE 2013
Le président arménien reçoit les
membres du Conseil de
sécurité de la CEI
Le président arménien Serge Sargissian a reçu les délégations participant à la 35e réunion des organismes
de sécurité et des services spéciaux de
la CEI.
Le président arménien a souligné la
nécessité d’une coopération renforcée
pour assurer la sécurité régionale et
internationale entre les nations
membres de la CEI.
Dans ce contexte, le président
Serge Sargissian a souligné l’importance des activités des agences de sé-
curité.
Les membres du Conseil ont informé le président des résultats de leur
réunion à Tsakhkadzor.
Le président du Conseil, et directeur du Service de sécurité fédéral,
Alexander Bortnikov, considère que
les réunions du Conseil sont efficaces.
Il a souligné la coopération au développement dynamique pour répondre
aux défis actuels que sont le terrorisme, le trafic de drogue et la criminalité
organisée.
Annulation d’une mission d’inspection
de l’OSCE sur la « ligne de contact »
du Karabagh
Les parties au conflit du Haut-Karabagh se sont accusées mutuellement le 17
octobre dernier d’avoir contrarié la mission de suivi du cessez-le-feu dans la
zone du conflit prévue dans le cadre de l’OSCE. Une équipe d’inspecteurs de
l’OSCE devait procéder à une brève évaluation sur le terrain du respect du cessez-le-feu en vigueur depuis 1994 et qui a été l’objet de violations de plus en plus
fréquentes au cours des derniers mois. Les représentants de l’OSCE devaient se
rendre de part et d’autre de la frontière entre le Karabagh et l’Azerbaïdjan.
Les coups de feu ont été enregistrés par les groupes de surveillance des deux
côtés.
Le représentant personnel du Président de l’OSCE en exercice,
l’Ambassadeur Kasprzyk Adrzej, qui dirigeait la mission d’observation de l’autre
côté, a pris la décision d’arrêter la surveillance.
Révélation du Département de
la Justice : l’Azerbaïdjan verse
des millions aux entreprises
américaines
Harut Sassounian
The California Courier
17 octobre 2013
Nageant dans des milliards de
pétrodollars, mais manquant de boussole morale, l’Azerbaïdjan a été très
occupé à distribuer de l’argent à toute
personne désireuse de prendre en
compte sa propagande.
Le système de corruption de Bakou,
mondialement connu sous le nom de
« diplomatie du caviar », a désormais
pris dans son piège les forces vives de
Washington. Apparemment, il n’y a pas
pénurie d’Américains très disposés à
vendre leurs âmes pour une poignée
de dollars. Novice dans le domaine du
lobbying, l’Azerbaïdjan a vite appris les
ficelles du métier de son « grand
frère » la Turquie, un grand maître en
matière de tromperie politique.
Le site Internet du Département
américain de la Justice énumère les
noms et les montants versés par
diverses entités azéries à onze compagnies américaines :
— L’ambassade d’Azerbaïdjan à
Washington verse 35 000 dollars par
mois à Patton Boggs « pour conseil et
assistance dans les relations bilatérales U.S.A-Azerbaïdjan » ; 18 250 dollars par mois à Melwood
Communications pour son aide dans
« les relations médiatiques et la stratégie de communication » ; 20 000 dollars par mois au groupe DCI pour
« relations publiques et sensibilisation
des médias, et pour bâtir des relations
via des think tanks »; et 45 000 dollars
par mois au groupe The Podesta pour
mener un travail de relations
publiques.
— Le groupe Livingston, qui porte le
nom de l’ex-président de la Chambre,
Bob Livingston, qui a quitté son poste
dans la honte, a reçu à ce jour près de
2 millions de dollars pour faire du lobbying au nom du ministère des Affaires
étrangères de l’Azerbaïdjan.
— La banque International Bank of
Azerbaïjan verse à Jefferson Waterman
International (JWI) 25 000 dollars par
mois pour « développer les relations
avec les institutions américaines » et
« la stratégie des relations avec les
médias. » JWI reçoit en outre 25 000
par mois de « la Présidence de
l’Azerbaïdjan » pour des conseils en
stratégie vis-à-vis des médias. Le ministère des Finances de l’Azerbaïdjan
possède 51% des parts de la banque
International Bank of Azerbaïdjan.
— À ce jour, Azerbaijan America
Alliance a versé à Fabiani & Company
2,4 millions de dollars « pour planifier
et mettre en œuvre des stratégies
visant à encourager des activités de
recherche et de plaidoyer concernant
le peuple azéri, le pays, la culture et les
relations internationales. » 700 personnes ont participé à un dîner de gala à
Washington récemment, organisé par
Azerbaijan America Alliance. Parmi les
invités se trouvaient des représentants
de l’Administration Obama, des membres du Congrès et des diplomates
étrangers. Des députés notoirement
connus pour leur opposition aux questions arméniennes sont venus à ce
banquet, y compris, les sénateurs
Saxby Chambliss et Richard Burr, le
président de la Chambre John Boehner
et l’ex-député Dan Burton.
— Roberti White LLC reçoit mensuellement 20 834 dollars de la SOCAR
USA, la filiale américaine de la State
Oil Company of Azerbaijan, pour
explorer les opportunités d’affaires
avec les États-Unis.
— L’argent n’étant pas un problème,
même le consulat général de
l’Azerbaïdjan à Los Angeles peut se
permettre d’engager sa propre entreprise de relations publiques. Au fil des
années, il a loué les services de Sitrick
and Company (50 000 dollars par an) ;
Toolshed Group LLC (35 000 dollars),
fondé par Jason Katz, ancien directeur
des affaires publiques du Comité juif
américain ; et The Potomac Square
Group (montant non divulgué) « pour
une sensibilisation des médias… et
une interaction avec les éditeurs. »
Et aujourd’hui, voici encore un
autre ex-membre du Congrès parti à la
chasse du Tout-Puissant dollar de
l’Azerbaïdjan ! L’ex-député de New
York, Michael McMahon, gère les relations affaires publiques/gouvernement
pour la soi-disant « République turque
de Chypre du nord », un territoire
reconnu uniquement par sa puissance
occupante – la Turquie ! McMahon, qui
a siégé à la Commission des Affaires
étrangères jusqu’à sa défaite en 2010,
dirige l’effort de lobbying au nom de
Herrick, Feinstein LLP à New York, qui
a gagné un contrat de 200 000 dollars
par an pour organiser des visites de
députés dans le nord de Chypre
occupé et pour améliorer son image
dans les médias. McMahon s’occupe
également du développement et de la
construction du consulat de la Turquie
à New York.
Par conséquent, il n’est pas surprenant que le nom de McMahon soit
apparu la semaine dernière, alors qu’il
tentait de légitimer la réélection frauduleuse du président Ilham Aliyev, ce
dernier ayant obtenu 85% des voix, tandis que ses neufs adversaires ont eu
collectivement les 15% restants !
Si les observateurs internationaux
ont critiqué la réélection d’Aliyev, la
qualifiant de « déloyale et rongée par
la fraude », le journal The New York
Times a cité McMahon qui a affirmé
que le scrutin était « honnête,
équitable et vraiment efficace. Les files
d’attente étaient bien plus courtes
qu’en Amérique et il n’y a pas eu de défaillance du système de perforation »,
une référence aux bulletins de votes
contestés en Floride, lors des élections
Suites à la page 8
9. LUNDI 4 NOVEMBRE 2013 / MONDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2013 • ABAKA • 9
ABAKA
E N G L I S H
S E C T I O N
MONDAY NOVEMBER 04, 2013
Ilham Aliyev ‘Elected’ Azerbaijan’s
President…Before the Election
BY EDMOND Y. AZADIAN
While some Armenians continue
disputing President Serge Sargisian’s
election, the election in Azerbaijan has
an entirely different script. Indeed
“The Great Game round-up” reported
on October 13 that “Azerbaijan
released the election results before
voting had even started. Still, one
expects certain ritual in these sorts of
authoritarian elections, a fealty to at
least the appearance of democracy, if
not democracy itself. Thus, it was a bit
awkward when Azerbaijan’s election
authorities released the voting results
a full day before voting had even started.” Since the authorities had laid their
plans a long time before the election,
therefore it was not difficult to predict
the outcome wherein lies the cause of
their impatience to make the world
aware that for the next five years the
Aliyev dynasty will continue ruling
Azerbaijan as their own private real
estate management firm, using and
abusing the petrodollars to cater their
opulent lifestyle while building their
military hardware to keep the lid tight
on any popular discontent. The fearmongering policy of Ilham Aliyev’s
administration is directed as much
against Armenians as it is toward the
Azeri public.
Neither the internal refugees nor
the local people benefit from their
country’s oil boom, and the Azeri government continues to keep the tensions rising with Armenia, to us the
latter as a scapegoat causing the
misery of Azerbaijan’s internal
refugees.
It is reported that 70 percent of the
electorate has voted, with 85 percent
of those vote going to Aliyev, a scenario reminiscent of the Soviet era
when Aliyev’s father would win 99 percent of the votes. Out of 5 million and
162,000 electorate, 3 million and
126,000 have voted to the incumbent
president. On the eve of the election,
the BBC had announced that the election in Azerbaijan is a formality to consolidate Aliyev’s rule. The preelection
atmosphere was described by the
same news agency as “full of fear and
apathy.”
The official sources have
announced that the opposition candidate has garnered 200,000 votes which
in reality may be much more.
The election farce was played openly in view of the entire world community; Azerbaijan’s rubber stamp parliament amended the country’s constitution to allow Mr. Aliyev to run for a
third term. Then many problem journalists were jailed and opposition candidates were harassed and intimidated
to render Mr. Aliyev’s election a piece
of cake.
It is no surprise that on election
day, John Dalhuisen of Amnesty
International characterized Aliyev as a
“despot and gravedigger of democracy.”
The US Department of State has
extended a cool reception to the election “results,” characterizing them as
“undemocratic.”
However, another coincidence has
underlined even further the US position as President Obama has sent a
message to Azerbaijan stating: “My
wife Michelle joins me to extend our
best wishes to the Muslims in America
and around the world on the occasion
of Islamic Eid-e Ghorban, hoping that
they achieve their pilgrimage successfully.”
So far Aliyev has met with the US
ambassador in Baku, Richard
Morningstar, complaining about such
characterization, which does not compare favorably with the 2008 elections
in Armenia. The latter had been called
“fraught with massive fraud.” Yet it
was accepted by the State
Department. He has also used the
opportunity to ask Washington to lift
the restrictions of paragraph 907 of the
Freedom Support Act “which keeps
Azerbaijan under pressure.”
On the other hand, EU representatives have announced that “we accept
election results as proof that
Azerbaijan is moving towards
European integration.” The Russian
foreign minister went along with the
warm sentiments, adding that Aliyev’s
reelection will further contribute to
the consolidation of friendship
between Baku and Moscow.
As we can see a despot is being
wooed by Europe and Russia, contributing to the reckless behavior of
Aliyev’s regime.
No matter how ludicrous the elections in Azerbaijan may be, its oil
absolves it of all its faults.
Irrespective of the fraudulent elections and their adverse characterization in the international media, “the
New Great Game Round-up” reports,
“In Azerbaijan, the EU focuses on
energy instead of democracy. The
news came three days ahead of the
German federal elections on
September 22 and went nearly unnoticed: EON, Germany’s biggest energy
group, signed a gas deal with
Azerbaijan. The company will import
40 billion cubic meters of natural gas
over the next 25 years from the Shah
Deniz field, Azerbaijan’s biggest natural gas field in the Caspian Sea.”
This political duplicity provides the
license to Azerbaijan to behave recklessly with impunity. Right during the
presidential elections Azeri forces
Cont’d on page 10
New Book Chronicles British
Newspaper Reports on the Genocide
YEREVAN — A two volume book
entitled The Times of the Armenian
Genocide: Reports in the British Press,
1914-1923 by Katia Minas Peltekian has
been released.
The two volumes compile over one
thousand items collected from British
newspapers between 1914 and 1923.
History unfolds in pages of British newspapers. Simple yet agonizing, the one
thousand and some articles in these volumes tell the story of a persecuted people whom the Ottoman government massacred and deported in a systematic way
to wipe out the Armenian nation. These
reports not only tell the story of a genocide but also give details of the peace
negotiations at Sevres and Lausanne.
Katia Peltekian is an independent
researcher who collects newspaper articles. She has degrees in English
Literature and Education from the
American University of Beirut (Lebanon) and Dalhousie University (Canada).
She taught English at AUB (1988-2005) and Haigazian University (2005-2012).
She compiles daily news items for the Armenian News Network Groong.org and
translates to English many articles about Armenia and Armenians that appear in
the Arabic press.
Her interest for newspapers led to the publication of her first book in 2000,
Heralding of the Armenian Genocide: Reports in ‘The Halifax Herald’ (18941922), which compiles one Canadian newspaper’s articles and reports on the
on-going massacres and deportations of the Armenian population. At the time,
the book was distributed free to Canadian members of parliament, a few officials and public libraries, in addition to university libraries around the world and
Genocide research centers. Currently, she is preparing another book that compiles thousands of articles about Armenians printed in the British press between
1875 and 1913.
NATO Wishes to Expand
Cooperation with Armenia.
James Appathurai
I have had excellent meetings with
Armenian President Serj Sarksian and
other senior officials and we discussed
a broad range of issues related to
Armenia-NATO cooperation, NATO
Secretary General’s Special
Representative for the South Caucasus
and Central Asia James Appathurai
told reporters in Yerevan.
Mr Appathurai noted that NATO
wishes to expand and deepen cooperation with Armenia and the Armenian
leaders have said that there is no problem between membership to CSTO
and cooperation with NATO.
Regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, James Appathurai said that
NATO is not involved in the settlement
process and supports the activities of
the OSCE Minsk Group.
“We cooperate with both Armenia
and Azerbaijan and during all meetings
stress peaceful resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” he said.
There is no military resolution to
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and
compromised political settlement is
the only way, he concluded.
The Armenian Mirror-Spectator weekly
wins Diaspora Ministry award
YEREVAN — The Boston
based English language the
Armenian Mirror-Spectator
weekly, the organ of the
Armenian Democratic Liberal
Party of Eastern US and Canada
District, received a certificate from the Armenian Diaspora Ministry, as the top
newspaper in the Diaspora.
The Diaspora Ministry jointly awards the certificate annually, working in conjunction with theArmenian Journalists’ Union.
The certificate also comes with a monetary award.
10. 10 • ABAKA • LUNDI 4 NOVEMBRE 2013 / MONDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2013
A walk to renew faith
in Armenia
On Sunday, October 20, young
people from across Armenia,
Nagorno-Karabagh, and Georgia
took part in a walk in Yerevan and
Vagharshapat to renew their faith
and to reaffirm their commitment to
preserving the Armenian Christian
spirit.
The route took the group from
Freedom Square to Republic Square
in central Yerevan. Young people
bore crosses, processional banners,
and signs reading, “Whatever you
do, do it with love.” In Republic
Square the participants boarded
shuttles to St. Hripsime Church in
Vagharshapat, and from there they
continued their walk to Holy
Etchmiadzin.
A prayer service was held at the St. Drtad open-air altar at Holy Etchmiadzin,
with His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, presiding. “Christ is the light, and we must allow that light to burn
within us,” His Holiness
said. “The Armenian
Christian faith has nourished the Armenian people
for centuries, and it is
through this faith and
through our love that we
can strengthen our homeland and overcome the
obstacles we face in our
lives.”
Diocesan Press Office
Russia to strengthen
Armenian Base
THE YOUTH CORNER
That got me thinking
So Relatable.
The other day I find myself thinking that an episode of Dawson’s Creek
would give me insight on a particular situation I have found myself stuck in.
As usual, it did. Thankful for my DVD set, I put it away, feeling better. It
made me realize how good it feels to be able to relate.
Have you ever, like me, re-watched an episode of your favourite show
just because there is a particular scene you particularly relate to because of
the particular situation that you are in? Have you ever asked advice from
someone who you think has been through a predicament similar to yours?
Have you ever listened to a song in awe, thinking that every line corresponds to your life?
Doesn’t it feel incredibly reassuring and satisfying when you hear exactly
what you hear? Don’t you feel better when you know that it’s normal and
okay to feel the way you do?
While it is important to seek for advice when you lose your way, it is also
nonetheless important to keep in mind that no two experiences are the
same, simply because no two people are the same. You cannot base yourself on other people’s thoughts and feelings about situations to find answers
to your dilemma. Sometimes, you just have to accept that you’re just going
to have to find your own way through the maze you’ve found yourself stuck
in. And it’s important that you do. I know that it’s always comforting to hear
what others have to say to try to guess what the answer to your question is.
However, the outcome of other people’s situation might turn out to be the
complete opposite of what will happen to you. That person might have a
personality do drastically different from yours that there is no way that you
will take the same road he did. Also, it might so happen that the given
advice can freak you out completely and make the situation even harder to
handle. I remember asking advice from a really good friend of mine, but
realizing afterwards that since her view on the situation was the polar opposite of mine, our somewhat similar situation could not, in the end, be compared.
Ask for advice and opinion, but don’t forget to put the situation in perspective. Relating to a song, book, show, friend of member of family can be
comforting, but the figuring out what it means to you, you’re going to have
to do that on your own.
Sananne Wartabetian
Montreal
Yerevan State University offers distant
courses by computer
A Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jet takes off at the Erebuni air base in
Gyumri, Armenia
YEREVAN (RIA Novosti) —
Russia will strengthen its air contingent at the Erebuni air base in
Armenia with a helicopter squadron in
the next few months, the base commander said.
Russia’s 3624th Air Base at the
Erebuni airport in Yerevan currently
hosts at least 16 MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets operating under the framework
of air defense agreements concluded
between the members of the
Commonwealth of Independent
States.
“A decision has been made to form
a helicopter squadron in addition to
the fighter squadron at the Erebuni
base by the end of this year or in the
beginning of the next year,”
Col. Alexander Petrov said.
Petrov said Moscow and Yerevan
have agreed that Russian pilots will be
able to practice bombing runs and
missile launches with live ammunition
at the nearby Marshal Bagramyan
training grounds belonging to the
Armenian Defense Ministry.
The Erebuni air base is part of
Russia’s 102nd military base located in
Gyumri, near Armenia’s border with
Turkey. The 102nd base has been
deployed in Gyumri since 1995 under a
bilateral treaty that was extended in
2010 from 25 to 49 years, ensuring a
Russian military presence in Armenia
through 2044.
Yerevan State University (YSU) this
week announced the launch of
DistanceLearning.am, a pioneering
program of a variety of courses that
can be taken in English by anyone,
anywhere, with access to a computer.
“For too long our language, culture,
and history have been kept in select
universities of the world,” said Dr.
Artashes Khurshudyan, the director of
the virtual program. “But now we must
deliver to the demand of the 21st century. Contemporary education itself must be democratized and become as
accessible as possible. This distance learning program will also contribute to the
dissemination of Armenian issues across the world.”
The Distance Learning Laboratory, which is housed in Yerevan State
University’s Department of Sociology, has been developing this program for
years. Now Armenians everywhere are invited to take YSU-certified courses in
Armenian history, the Armenian Genocide, comparative genocide, and the
Armenian Diaspora. The courses have been developed by leading experts, scholars, and professors from all over the world.
“DistanceLearning.am is a virtual university in itself,” Khurshudyan added, “a
virtual university where courses in Armenian studies are being taught 24 hours a
day. At any moment anybody in the world can walk into our university and begin
or continue his education,” he said.
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/10/20/yerevan-state-now-open-to-diaspora-with-distancelearning-am/
Ilham Aliev...
Cont’d from page 9
have broken the ceasefire on the
Karabagh front for the 1,400th time
this year alone. OSCE representatives
don’t even dare slap Azerbaijan on the
wrist for this belligerent behavior.
To add insult to injury, Azerbaijan
currently occupies a nonpermanent
seat on the UN Security Council and
may influence any resolution affecting
Armenia.