Month: May 2008

GOVERNMENT DOUBLES HONOR PAYMENT TO WORLD WAR II VETERANS

ARMENPRESS
May 15, 2008

YEREVAN MAY 15, ARMENPRESS: The government has approved today a
decision on doubling so-called ‘honor’ payment to veterans of World
War II.

Finance Minister Tigran Davtian said the decision will come into
effect on July 1. Since then the veterans will receive extra 20,000
drams in addition to other allowances.

Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian reminded that the decision was adopted
after President Serzh Sarkisian’s instruction to find extra funds to
double the amount of honor payments.

"Apart from being a sign of respect this is also a social assistance,’
he said.

ELECTIONS OF HEADS OF AVAN, DAVITASHEN, MALATIA-SEBASTIA, NORK-MARASH DISTRICTS TO TAKE PLACE MAY 18

ARMENPRESS
May 15, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 15, ARMENPRESS: Elections of heads of communities of
capital’s Avan, Davitashen, Malatia-Sebastia, Nork-Marash districts
will be conducted on May 18.

Press secretary of the Armenian Central Electoral Commission Tatevik
Ohanian said that in Avan only one candidate has been registered –
the functioning head of the district Taron Margarian (member of the
Republican Party).

Davitashen district too, has only one candidate – Arthur Gevorgian
(from Republican Party). He is the deputy of the head of the
district. David Ohanian, again from the Republican Party, is the only
candidate in Malatia-Sebastia district.

Member of the Republican Party Varazdat Mkrtchian, non-parties Garnik
Martirosian and Ashot Margarian will fight for the office of the head
of Nork-Marash district.

CONFERENCE OF INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ARMENIAN JEWELERS
By Ara Martirosian

AZG Armenian Daily
16/05/2008

Economy

The 5th conference of International Association of Armenian Jewelers
(IAAJ) US East Shore was held on May 3 of this year in Boston,
President of IAAJ Gagaik Abrahamian informed "Azg" daily. About 100
participants from Boston, New York and New Jersey participated in the
conference. They first honored IAAJ former President Ara Barmakian’s
and his brother Tiran Barmakian’s memory with one-minute silence.

Afterwards, Vice-President of the East shore of the Association Suren
Mahseredzian presented and honored two Armenian veteran jewelers
Vahan Barmakian and Norayr Arslanian in connection with their
55-year-contribution to jewelry industry.

Then President of IAAJ East shore Perch Abadzian delivered a speech. He
praised some Armenian jewelers whose companies are well-known and
become as a brand.

Junior Ara Barmakian was elected as a council advisor.

IAAJ President Gagik Abrahamian suggested that the elections should be
held in Basel, in April 2009, and before it a council meeting should
be held in October in Yerevan to discuss the changes in the charter
and to get ready for Basel elections.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UNESCO DIRECTOR EMPHASIZES PROTECTION OF MONUMENTS IN KARABAKH

AZG Armenian Daily
16/05/2008

International, Culture

According to APA, UNESCO Director General Koishiro Matsuura said on a
press conference in Baku that the protection of historical monuments
in Karabakh is a very important cultural issue.

Matsuura stressed that UNESCO will be unable to provide necessary
protection for the monuments until the Karabakh conflict is
settled. He said that UNESCO is a non-governmental and a non-political
organization, and cannot interfere at this moment. However, UNESCO,
as an international structure, keeps an attentive eye at Karabakh.

ISOLATED FOR THE CHANGE OF POLITICAL VIEWS

A1+
[07:01 pm] 15 May, 2008

"Law-enforcement bodies are not charitable organizations, they
are power structures", noted Chairman of the "United Labour Party"
Gourgen Arsenian. Note that after April 12-13, 2004 the latter had
thanked the law-enforcement bodies for their observant and careful
operation. In reply to an A1+ question how he assesses the current
work of the police forces Arsenian stated that only the investigation
body is competent to answer the question.

On March 1 Gourgen Arsenian was abroad and he learnt about the
events in Armenia only from the foreign broadcasts of Public
Television. The picture confused him and he could not even imagine
what was really going on in his home-country. He could see only part
of the events-broken and looted stores, burnt cars…

According to Arsenian the whole Armenian Community was shocked. Only
back in Armenia could Arsenian realize what had really happened.

Today Arsenian finds it difficult to assess the work of either the
opposition or the law-enforcement bodies. Instead, he announces that
at the moment in isolation cells there are people who, though accused
of criminal offence, are persecuted for changing their political views.

Gourgen Arsenian mentions Sasoun Mikayelian’s case as an example. He
reminds about the Republican Party Assembly organized in 2007, when
Sasoun Mikayelian welcomed the fact of Serzh Sargssian’s nomination
to the post of the President. "He is now under arrest.

Doesn’t it mean he has changed his political views?", wonders Arsenian.

"I can’t believe Karapet Roubinian is a transgressor.

I know him well enough not to believe it. Isn’t it strange that such an
"Armenia-oriented" and "pro-Armenian" person as Michael Hayrapetian
is has to act from underground now?"

"The progress towards democracy that we had made at Parliamentary
Elections completely fell to the ground at the Presidential elections",
notices Arsenian regretfully.

PEOPLE ARE COMPELLED TO HUNGER-STRIKE

A1+
[07:55 pm] 15 May, 2008

Today at 17.30 member of the "New Times" Party Hrachya Sargssian
went on a hunger-strike at the Prosecutor’s Office. He demands that
Chairman of the "New Times" Party Aram Karapetian be released and
his case be annulled.

Hrachya Sargssian decided to take extreme measures when he learnt
that the Chairman was in a dreadful health state. "The authorities
compel me to a hunger-strike. They are trying to prolong the detention
term putting Karapetian’s life at stake. As it turns out it has been
useless to convince the authorities that an innocent, decent person,
a political leader and a Doctor of Science mustn’t be kept under
arrest for his political views", complains Hrachya Sargssian.

While Sargssian arranged to inform the Prosecutor about his
hunger-strike in writing, a group of women staged a protest action
in defense of Aram Karapetian.

Today Hrant Khachatrian, Chairman of the "Constitutional Rights Union"
was also at the Prosecutor’s Office with the same demand.

"Aram Karapetian was detained even before March 1. As far as I know
they have not even started the investigation process. The authorities
do their best to keep intelligent people in isolation. It is quite
obvious that Aram Karapetian is a political prisoner."

ARAM KARAPETIAN’S LIFE IS AT STAKE

A1+
[08:40 pm] 15 May, 2008

ARAM KARAPETIAN WILL BE TAKEN TO A CARDIOLOGICAL CENTER "From the very
beginning it was quite clear that I dealt with a patient suffering
from a heart disease.

Any instance of blood pressure rise may result in Karapetian’s death",
says cardiologist Armen Gasparian, who visited Chairmen of the
"New Times" Party Aram Karapetian in "Yerevan-Kentron" Penitentiary
yesterday.

The doctor was invited by Karapetian’s relatives. "He underwent a heart
examination and it turned out that Karapetian should be immediately
taken to cardiological center as his life is now at stake.

Medicine will not do him any good."

ARMENIA IS READY TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO CHINA TO CLEAR THEAFTERMATH OF THE EARTHQUAKE IN SICHUAN, ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SERZH

Interfax News Agency
May 15 2008
Russia

Sargsyan’s letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao says.

Given Armenia’s experience in clearing the aftermath of earthquakes,
we express our readiness to provide required assistance, Sargsyan said.

Sargsyan expressed condolences over the earthquake, which killed
thousands of people, the Armenian presidential press service told
Interfax on Wednesday. We share the grievance of relatives of those
killed and wish the swiftest recovery to all those injured, the letter
of the Armenian president says.

AZERBAIJAN SURPASSES ARMENIA BY FIGURE OF AMBASSADORS AND DIPLOMATS

Panorama.am
16:41 15/05/2008

"Our concern to spend much on diplomatic missions is justified,"
said the foreign minister of Armenia Edvard Nalbandyan in NA session
today. The minister said that Azerbaijan spends more money on
diplomatic and campaign missions; hence Armenian officials should
examine carefully the state budget of 2009 in order to meet the
difference.

"I hope you’ll support us as we really need in carrying out deep and
serious publishing, campaigning and other correspondent activities,"
said the minister and added that Armenia follows Azerbaijan not only
in having weak campaign but also in diplomatic aspect also. "We say
that we buy new buildings for diplomatic missions, but compare – in
2007 Azerbaijan spent 20mln dollars buying buildings and we spent 1,
2mln," he said.

E. Nalbandyan added that we should act as much as we can, but it
does not mean that we should ignore such significant points. The
minister said that Azerbaijan has 15 more embassies than Armenia,
and notified that last year Armenia opened no new embassies.

NATO WAR GAMES TO TAKE PLACE IN ARMENIA IN SEPT – MINISTRY

Interfax News Agency
May 14 2008
Russia

An official opening of a NATO military exercise will take place in
Armenia on September 15, 2008, deputy chief of the Armenian General
Staff Maj. Gen. Arshaluis Paitian told journalists on Wednesday.

A conference on planning this exercise began in Yerevan on
Wednesday. The conference brings together 110 servicemen, including
37 of them from NATO, while 63 of them are representatives of 21
countries that showed readiness to take part in the exercise.

"An exercise of such a scale will take place in our region for the
fist time. It is a great honor for us. We should prepare decently for
the exercise. It will consist of two stages, a command post exercise
with the participation of over 300 officers and a field exercise with
the participation of about 300 people," Paitian said.

Chief of the Armenian General Staff Col. Gen. Yury Khachaturov
is taking part in a meeting of chiefs of general staffs of NATO
members and NATO partners at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels
on Wednesday.

"Khachaturov will take part in a general meeting of the Euroatlantic
Partnership Council’s Military Council," spokesman for Armenian
Defense Ministry Seiran Shakhsuavarian told Interfax.