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Armenian Defense Minister Attends NATO Sitting in Brussels

On February 27, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan participated in the meeting of the Defense Ministers of the countries contributing to NATO-led operation in Afghanistan and the sitting of the Euro-Atlantic Council dedicated to issues of defense capacity development and cyber crimes.

During the sitting, the participants discussed the ISAF mission which is coming to an end in 2014 and the new initiatives to be launched from 2015.

Within the framework of the visit to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Mr. Ohanyan took part in the commemoration ceremony dedicated to the 26th anniversary of the Sumgait massacre against the Armenians in Azerbaijan.

Source: Public Radio of Armenia

Murder in a NATO Peace Program

The Funeral of  Lt. Gurgen Margaryan in Armenia.

The NATO partnership for peace program was created to promote bi-lateral cooperation and cultural enrichment between member states of the North-Atlantic. In the beginning of 2004, representatives of signatories participated in English-Language courses, held in Budapest, Hungary.

It was only one month into the 3-month event when the peace program took a murderous turn. During the night of February 18, representative of Azerbaijan, Ramil Safarov entered the bedroom of Armenian representative, Gurgen Markarian and proceeded to decapitate the defenseless man in his sleep. Axed over sixteen times, the twenty-five year old Armenian engineer was said to have been nearly beheaded in his bed, with his attacker inflicting successive stab wounds to the body thereafter. Following the butchering of Gurgen Markarian, Ramil Safarov attempted to murder another Armenian participant, Hayk Makuchyan, who had locked the door due to screams and warnings from Markarian's roommate and fellow attendees.

Ramil Safarov and fellow students testified that there had been no conflict between the Armenian and the Azerbaijani participants prior to the attack, revealing that the slaughter was purely an ethnically motivated hate crime, with Safarov confessing,

"I regret that I hadn't killed any Armenian before this. The army sent me to this training and here I learnt that two Armenians were taking the same course with us. I must say that hatred against Armenians grew inside me. In the beginning we were greeting each other, or rather they said "hi" to me but I didn't respond. The reason why I committed the murder was that they passed by and smiled in our face. At that moment I decided to kill them, to saw their heads off.."

The premeditated nature of this vicious crime, along the perpetrators obvious lack of remorse caused Ramil Safarov to be handed a sentence of life imprisonment by Budapest courts. After eight years in a Hungarian prison, Azerbaijan brokered a deal for Safarov's extradition home. Upon his arrival Azeri President Ilham Aliyev awarded the murderer 8 years back pay, a home and promotion in military rank in honor of his cowardly crime.

Sponsored by the Azeri state as a national hero, President Illham Aliyev proved once and for all his genocidal intentions towards his neighbors. His hostile tolerance of unjust killings of sleeping victims undoubtedly foreshadows the fate of Armenians if they ever have the misfortune of living under Azerbaijani rule. Professing that "The Armenians of the world are our enemies", Illham Aliyev conditions the children of his nation to celebrate racist barbarity, fueling instability in the region. It was precisely this type of government rhetoric and policy which caused the Sumgait massacre of Armenians in 1988, sparking a war between the two countries.

As if taunting the idea of the peace, Illham Aliyev disrespected the entire international community by encouraging the use of educational peace programs as an appropriate battlefield. With such villainous and unapologetic support displayed for Ramil Safarov's savage actions by the head of state, it remains highly suspicious that Mr. Safarov was not sent intentionally by his government with the motive of ambushing Armenians under the cover of a peace program. Tearing diplomatic trust and staining NATO's well-intentioned enrichment programs as a grave risk for nation's willing to send future participants.

Assemblyman Mike Gatto Introduces Resolution to Recognize Nagorno-Karabakh

SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) joined with people of Armenian descent around California and the world in calling for the United States to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as a sovereign state. The resolution, AJR 32, invokes strong language from the United States' own history regarding the rights of the people to "self-determination and democratic independence." If Gatto's resolution passes, it would make California the most populous governmental entity to call for Nagorno-Karabakh recognition, or to recognize it outright.

In 1921, the Soviet Union illegally severed Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, from Armenia, and placed it under the newly created Soviet Azerbaijani administration. Seventy years later, the people there formed the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. On 6 January 1992, the democratically elected legislature of the Republic formally declared independence. Since proclaiming independence, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has registered significant progress in democracy building, including a presidential election last year that was assessed by international observers as free and transparent.

Three organizations that have already expressed support for the legislation are the Armenian Council of America (ACA), the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), and the Unified Young Armenians (UYA).

Assemblyman Gatto has worked closely with each of these organizations on legislation he has authored in the past, including a resolution calling for U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide and on legislation extending the statute of limitations for victims of the genocide to file insurance claims. The Assemblyman has also supported events sponsored by each organization, including their stellar efforts to raise money for Armenians in need around the world. "The community is united in support of recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh," stated Gatto.

"It has been my privilege on this resolution to work with the leaders of the local Armenian American community and their outstanding representatives," said Gatto. "I am especially honored to introduce this legislation on a day when Armenians around the world are celebrating Christmas with family and loved ones."

Once passed by both houses of the California Legislature, a copy of AJR 32 will be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Secretary of the United States Senate, the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, and to each member of the California delegation to the United States Congress.

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly. He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake. www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

Source: Official Website of Assemblyman Mike Gatto

Honoring Yura Movsisyan, Moe Movsisyan, and Al Nazarian for their support of Unified Young Armenians (UYA)

“Unified Young Armenians” (UYA) Offers Condolences to the Podolsk Crash Victims and Families

The UYA Family's thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families following the tragic accident which occurred on July 13, 2013. The lives of many families have been affected as a result of the heartbreaking incident which occurred in City of Podolsk of Russian Federation. We cannot help but to recall the many lives lost and dreams shattered. Thus, we extend our genuine sympathies to the relatives and friends of those who perished.

We hope that through a just, thorough, and humane investigation and trial, the facts of this case will be determined and the individuals or entities at fault will be held to answer for their deeds. However, an inhumane trial will not only go against the ideals of justice, but it will also be a direct insult to the memories of the victims lost. It is important to note that the authorities have unfortunately failed to create the necessary conditions for the fair trial of Hrachya Harutyunyan by pandering to forces of xenophobia and racism. In these emotional times, we should not let this dark moment to tarnish the old kinship among the two people.

We highly value and praise the public commitment made by the Armenian community of Russian Federation, specifically that of Mr. Ara Abarahamyan, to assist the families of the victims.

As a tribute to the lives lost and to mark the 7th day of this tragic incident, our Organization's website will go dark on July 20th.

May we all pray for their souls to rest in peace and find comfort.

Unified Young Armenians (UYA)

The Hrachya Harutyunyan Affair: The Straw that Broke the Camel’s [or in this case the Bear’s] back?

Recently, the Russian Federation, a “traditional ally” of Armenia in the face of threats from Turkey and Azerbaijan, took specific and concrete steps which gave rise to a vast number of Armenians both in Armenia and the Diaspora to ask whether the relationship between the “allies” should be revisited and reevaluated.

In the month of June, Russia completed a big arms delivery worth about $1 billion to Azerbaijan, a regime of de facto hereditary dictatorship and a human rights violator. At the same time, Azerbaijan is also Republic of Armenia’s and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s arch-enemy who threatens the aforementioned dual Armenian homelands with war and destruction almost on a daily basis. According to Reuters, this Russian arms package included “nearly 100 T-90C tanks, Smerch and TOS-1A multiple rocket launchers and Msta-A and Vena artillery cannons.” For reference, the T-90C tanks are currently the most modern tanks available to the Russian Armed Forces and the remainder of the package is yet another addition to Azerbaijan’s arsenal which can be used to unleash a second campaign of death and destruction against the populations of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh.

In yet another blow to the often bragged-about traditionally “friendly” Armenian-Russian relationship, ArmRusGazProm, a joint venture between the Ministry of Energy of Armenia and the Russian companies Gazprom and Itera, announced that it will increase the price of natural gas for the Armenian consumers. To be exact, according to ARKA News Agency, “on June 7, the Armenia’s public services regulatory commission increased the gas price for customers consuming up to 10,000 cubic meters from 132,000 drams (including VAT) to 156,000 drams (including VAT) per 1,000 cubic meters as from July 7.” As the Armenian Prime Minister admitted in a recent interview, such an increase in gas prices will have major implications for Armenia. However, shortly thereafter, the Armenian Government and the Russian side launched negotiations to increase the latter’s ownership stake in ArmRusGazProm from 80% to 100% in exchange for lowering the gas price for the consumers. This move, was labeled by many as yet another bullying tactic employed by the Russian Government, especially considering the fact that the price hike followed an earlier Gazprom announcement that the gas prices for the European consumers will fall by 10%. In other words, sooner than later, Armenian consumers can be paying more for natural gas than the residents of Western European countries.

Surprisingly, while the abovementioned incidents have had major geo-political implications for Armenia and Russia, the plight of Hrachya Harutyunyan, a poverty-stricken Armenian migrant worker has reignited the calls for revisiting the Armenian-Russian relations. In a tragic accident which happened on July 13, 2013, Hrachya Harutyunyan, a truck-driver whose truck swerved into a bus in the Podolsk Village of Russia, killing 18 and wounding 60, became central to the Armenia-Russia relationship. In court, Hrachya was accused of violating traffic rules and causing the deaths of two or more people.

While the responsible party should be held accountable for this tragic incident, it was Hrachya Harutyuny’s outrageous treatment by the Russian authorities which caused the uproar within the Armenian public. Hrachya Harutyunyan, a middle-aged man, was brought to the court dressed in a woman’s colorful bathrobe. If Mr. Harutyunyan, per his own cognizance walked into the court wearing a similar outfit, he would have certainly been reprimanded and punished for such an outlandish behavior. The images of a humiliated and disgraced citizen of Armenia went viral on the World Wide Web and generated calls of protest and retaliation, as well as demands for explanations from the Russian authorities. Even more significant, Hrachya’s treatment by the Russian authorities caused the Armenian public to protest at the Russian Embassy in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, a truly rare incident by any measure.

While it is given that a guilty party must be held accountable for his or her actions in a fair trial, it is universally known and accepted that even those who are accused of the most heinous crimes have certain rights. While remaining innocent until proven guilty is the bedrock of most systems of justice, the protection of one’s dignity is yet another important right which ought to be enjoyed by the accused.

The Russian authorities responsible for this type of outrageous treatment of Hrachya Harutyunyan, a citizen of their only remaining “ally” in the South Caucasus must be held accountable by the Russia’s leadership. While Russian authorities may be pandering to the Russia’s ultra-nationalist elements by treating Hrachya Harutyunyan in such disgraceful manner, both for the short term and in a long run, they are planting potent seeds of anti-Russian sentiments among the Armenians of Republic of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and the Diaspora.

It is noteworthy that the outpour of outrage against Hrachya’s treatment by the Russian authorities was not only unified and across the board as to the pundits and politicians of various background, but the uproar was led by the young generation of Armenians. Thus, for many years to come, the anti-Russian sentiments will not only remain intact, but will also exacerbate unless the Russian Government, at its highest levels, takes concrete steps to rectify the damage.

First and foremost, Russia must supply Armenia with superior defensive and offensive weapons so to curb Azerbaijan’s hunger for war and destruction in the region and to reassure Armenia of Russia’s allegiance. Second, Russia must reevaluate its energy policy vis-à-vis Armenia as its current policy not only hurts its ally financially, but it can and eventually should lead to Armenia reevaluating its future relations with Russia.

Lastly, every human being, regardless of its race, age, or sex must be granted the human rights afforded to him by laws of the land or nature. Hrachya’s outrageous and publicized treatment by the Russian authorities was a reminder of Russia’s poor human rights record and rampant corruption which Russia’s leadership have fought against for many years. By publicly and officially holding the responsible individuals to answer for their shameful behavior against Hrachya, the Russian authorities can at least rectify some of the damage which has been caused.

No one has a right to disgrace a citizen of Armenia. And unless the Russian authorities discipline the rogue elements within their justice system responsible for outrageous treatment of Hrachya Harutyunyan, this latest incident can be the straw that breaks the camel’s [or in this case the bear’s] back.

Aroutin Hartounian
President
Unified Young Armenians (UYA)