Month: November 2009

KAREN PETROSYAN ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF MURDERING KHOSROV RESERVE DIRECTOR

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
19.11.2009 19:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Police has arrested Karen Petrosyan on suspicion
of murdering Khosrov Reserve Director Samvel Shaboyan, RA Police
Public Relations department reports. In that connection, criminal
case has been instituted under Section 1, Article 104 and 235 of RA
Criminal Code.

On November 18, about 23:50 local time, Samvel Shaboyan’s (born 1958)
Toyota Prado (007LL71) was shelled by unknown in Myasnikyan Avenue,
Yerevan. Law enforcers counted 30 bullet holes in the car. Shoboyan,
who was sitting on the backseat, died from numerous bullet wounds.

HAYASTAN ALL ARMENIAN FUND-ORGANIZED X PHONETON LAUNCHES ON NOVEMBER 19 IN PARIS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
19.11.2009 19:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Hayastan All Armenian Fund-organized X phoneton
launched on November 19 in Paris.

For 4 days, 600 volunteers from 5 French cities will be phoning their
compatriots residing in Europe to agitate for their participation
in phoneton.

Hayastan All Armenian Fund director Ara Vardanyan and adviser to the
executive director Hrach Hovhannisyan left for France to participate
in the opening ceremony.

Upon pheneton completion, Hayastan All Armenian Fund board of trustees
will participate in November 26 telethon in US, where results of
all-European phoneton, Moscow charity supper, and other Fund-organized
charity events will be announced.

ARFD CONSIDERS ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT INCAPABLE OF CONDUCTING EFFECTIVE ECONOMIC POLICY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
19.11.2009 19:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Armenian government failed the anti-crisis policy:
18,3% economic downfall and high inflation are registered in Armenia
at present," ARF Dashnaktsutyun parliamentary faction MP Artsvik
Minasyan stated at 2010 state budget parliament hearing.

According to the MP, Armenian government is conducting ineffective
credit policy, which is the reason for lack of financial stability
in RA.

Commenting on 2010 budget project, the MP characterized the project as
reactionary as opposed to initiatory or anti-crisis one. "Which spells
inability of state budget to resolve our citizens’ social-economic
problems in 2010," Artsvik Minasyan emphasized.

The MP offered the ruling coalition to demand implementation of more
effective economic policy program from executive authority, adding
that ARFD will insist on this point until the government acknowledges
its inability to conduct effective economic policy.

FLEXIBLE AND BARBARIAN

168 Zham
Nov 12 2009
Armenia

Yesterday at the meeting of the Armenian National Congress (ANC)
activists, the first president of Armenia, head of the Pan-Armenian
National Movement, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, made a lengthy speech. He
dwelled on domestic political situation in Armenia after the signing
of the Armenian-Turkish protocols and made his predictions about
possible developments.

It seems to me that the following scenario will take place. The
Turkish parliament will delay the ratification of the protocols or
they will ratify them with some reservations tending to promote a
quick settlement to the NK [Nagornyy Karabakh] conflict. The Armenian
parliament will adopt a wait-and-see policy and will get back to the
ratification of the protocols only after Turkey ratifies them.

The international community will consider the NK issue as the main
obstacle to this deadlock and will make efforts to speed up its
settlement which completely coincides with Turkey’s position. Pointing
to confrontation between Armenia and Diaspora over the signing of
the Armenian-Turkish protocols, Serzh Sargsyan will ask the mediators
to hold back the NK conflict settlement for some time explaining to
them that it will be difficult for him to withstand to yet another
confrontation.

The international community will admit Sargsyan’s explanation with
understanding, but they will not miss the opportunity to use his
weakness and therefore, they will reject his request. Moreover, they
will increase pressure on Armenia over the NK. It is quite probable
that the interested forces will also convince Armenia to ratify the
protocols first substantiating that after that it will not be easy
for Turkey to delay the ratification process.

Thus, based on this logic, the developments in the forthcoming months
will head in the direction of the NK conflict settlement rather than
in the direction of the Armenian-Turkish relations because the main
condition of the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation is not the genocide
issue but the Karabakh issue settlement. And despite the beginning of
his speech, L. Ter-Petrosyan had mentioned that it is not intended
to be part of his programme, he raised a lot of issues. The first
president of Armenia finished his speech with a rhetoric question which
would most probably become an issue of discussions and interpretations
quite soon.

FIRST EU PRESIDENT TO BE ELECTED IN BRUSSELS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
19.11.2009 20:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 19, leaders of European Union member
states are electing EU first President. Representatives from 27
countries differed in their views on possible candidate, hence
discussions over the issue are expected to continue after midnight.

Earlier, the favorite was Britain’s Tony Blair. But later, France and
Germany expressed support for Belgian Premier Herman Van Rompuy. Other
possible contenders included in the list are Dutch Premier Jan Peter
Balkenende, former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and Luxemburg
Premier Jean-Claude Juncker.

Brussels will also host elections of pan-European Foreign Minster
who will be vested with more competences than President.

EU structural management reforms are stipulated in Lisbon Treaty
which enters into force on December 1, 2009, BBC reports.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ONLY SERIOUS REFORMS CAN GUARANTEE ARMENIA’S ECONOMIC STABILITY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
19.11.2009 20:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Oligopolistic – monopolistic and criminal economic
system, with parliamentarians as its leading representatives,
is operating in Armenia," RA National Assembly MP Victor Dallakyan
stated at 2010 state budget parliament hearing.

According to MP, only serious reforms can guarantee Armenia’s economic
stability, while lack of those will lead the country into a hopeless
state.

Welcoming RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s statement on undertaking
steps against criminal clans, Dallakyan noted that the initiative
could only succeed with presidential support.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HOVIK ABRAHAMYAN: COOPERATION WITH OSCE/ODIHR TO CONTRIBUTE TO ARMENIA’S DEMOCRATIZATION

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
19.11.2009 20:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan has
today received OSCE/ODIHR Director Janez Lenarcic. During the meeting,
Armenian Speaker said that the country’s cooperation with organization
contributed to Armenia’s democracy and human rights development. Mr.

Abrahamyan also expressed Armenian authorities’ willingness to see
their country in the list of European states.

In that context, Parliament speaker introduced to Lenarcic Armenia’s
steps following 2008 elections.

In turn, ODIHR Director thanked Abrahamyan for warm reception,
stressing that visit aimed at establishing mutual trust with Armenian
authorities. In the meantime, he noted that his organization’s goal
consisted in offering professional assistance, without imposing any
measures on countries.

Parties also touched upon normalization of Armenian-Turkish ties
without preconditions and Karabakh conflict settlement, RA NA press
service reports.

SARGSYAN-ALIYEV MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 22 IN MOSCOW

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
19.11.2009 21:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian and Azeri Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and
Iham Aliyev will meet November 22 in Munich. Meeting will take place
in French General Consul’s residence.

"By the invitation of OSCE MG Co-Chairing states (US, France and
Russia), Armenian and Azeri Presidents are to meet on November 22 in
French General Consul’s residence, Munich," French Foreign Ministry
says in a release.

"The basic principles of just, long-term and peaceful settlement of
conflict were submitted to French and Russian Foreign Ministers and
US Assistant Secretary of State on November 2007 in Munich. During
the G8 Summit this year, co-chairing countries’ Presidents made a
joint statement calling on parties to invest their best efforts in
finishing coordination of Madrid Principles. This are principles
mediators are trying to reconcile with parties," says the statement.

TURKEY CAMPAIGN TO COUNTER ARMENIA BORDER OPENING

AssA-Irada
November 17, 2009 Tuesday
Azerbaijan

A signature collection campaign was launched in Turkey on Thursday
to prevent the planned opening of the border with Armenia prior to
a solution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh. According to Turkeys Erzurumgazetesi website, the campaign
was organized in the town of Igdir by the ASIM DER union, which aims
to counter Armenian claims about the alleged 1915 genocide in the
Ottoman Empire.

The collected signatures will be sent to the foreign ministry. Turkey
and Armenia have faced differences for decades. Turkey closed
its border with Armenia in 1993 due to Armenian occupation of
Azerbaijani territory and genocide claims. In a bid to normalize
ties, Turkey signed protocols to establish diplomatic relations
and reopen its border with Armenia in Zurich on October 10. The
move has triggered a cool-down in its relations with Azerbaijan,
Turkeys ally. However, Turkish officials have pledged that Ankara
could normalize its relations with Yerevan only after the Garabagh
conflict has been fairly settled. Goksel Gulbey, ASIM DER chairman,
accused Armenians of insincerity. He noted that Armenia is seeking to
reopen the border and normalize its ties with Turkey but has availed
of every opportunity to assert that it will never pull of the occupied
Azerbaijani territories, adding that Turkey is obliged to support
Azerbaijan. If Armenians are sincere, they should withdraw from the
occupied Azerbaijani territories. Otherwise, the border will not open,
and ASIM DERs actions will continue. First, we will start a sit-in
protest and then take on a hunger strike, Gulbey told reporters.

ARMENIAN COURT RULES BAN ON OPPOSITION PAPER UNTIL REPAYMENT OF ALLEGED DEBT

Aravot
Nov 17 2009
Armenia

A court of law in Armenia’s capital Yerevan has issued a verdict,
upholding interim court decisions on banning publication of
the pro-opposition Chorrord Ishkhanutyun (Fourth Estate) paper,
the Aravot pro-opposition daily reported on 17 November. Thus,
according to the verdict issued on 16 November, the founder of the
Chorrord Ishkhanutyun paper, Ogostos company, will have to pay Gind
printing house about 2.6m Armenian drams (about 7,000 dollars) as a
compensation for alleged debts, Aravot reported. The court banned
Chorrord Ishkhanutyun’s publishing until the alleged debt is not
repaid, Aravot added in the same report.

The Gind company, which had printed the newspaper, sued Ogostos
earlier this year over alleged unpaid bills totalling some 5m
drams (13,000 dollars). A Yerevan court ordered Ogostos to stop
publishing the paper until the court case ends. Officials from the
Service of Mandatory Execution of Judicial Acts (SMEJA) visited the
newspaper’s offices on 9 November and warned the paper to comply with
the ban.The next day the daily published some 5,200 copies under a
new name – Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun (Fourth Self-rule) at another
printing house. The paper is known for its staunch support for the
opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) and its harsh attacks
on the government. The Aravot daily reported earlier that Gind,
bypassing the agreement signed between Ogostos company and itself,
unilaterally and secretly from the paper decided to raise the tariff
for printing Chorrord Ishkhanutyun paper.

For its part the administration of the Armenian parliament has
cancelled credentials of Chorrord Ishkhanutyun’s parliamentary
journalists, Aravot added in its 17 November report. A journalist of
Chorrord Ishkhanutyun, Taguhi Tovmasyan, was permitted entrance to
the parliament on 16 November as an expression of goodwill, but she
was not permitted entrance to the parliament’s session hall, Aravot
reported. The editor of Chorrord Ishkhanutyun, Shogher Matevosyan,
said the court verdict was a political order and that the paper will
appeal the verdict at upper instances – up to the European Court
of Human Rights, Aravot reported. The editor said that the Chorrord
Inknishkhanutyun paper will continue printing, Aravot reported.