Month: November 2009

MATERIALS ON AZERBAIJAN’S CRIMES IN NKR ADDED TO RA PUBLIC PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE ARCHIVES

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.11.2009 16:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s public prosecutors office addressed their
NKR colleagues with a request to provide information on criminal cases
instigated in connection with crimes against humanity committed in the
beginning of 1990s in Karabakh. According to NKR public prosecutor’s
office data, a number of criminal cases were instigated on charges
with terror, genocide and crimes against NKR’s Armenian population.

Specifically, atrocities were committed against Armenian residents of
Martakert region with the assistance of Azeri government. 60 innocent
villagers were slaughtered and 70 taken hostage.

In a number of NKR settlements, terrorist acts were perpetrated
by Azeri special mission units, Xenophobia Prevention Initiative
NGO reported.

ARMENIAN CHURCH TO BE BUILT ON JORDAN RIVERSIDE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.11.2009 16:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An Armenian Church will be built on Jordan
riverside. Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, the Armenian Patriarch of
Jerusalem, laid the cornerstone for new church, which will be named
St. Karapet Church.

WINE-GROWING STRATEGY NECESSARY IN CASE OF ARMENIA-TURKEY BORDER OPENING

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.11.2009 16:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Collaboration strategy with Turkey in wine-growing
sphere should be developed in RA in case of Armenia-Turkey
rapprochement, Avag Harutyunyan, head of Armenian wine makers union
believes. According to him, Armenia will be unable to met competition
in Turkish market, as Turkey’s wine-growing capacity exceeds that of
Armenia 10 times. Besides, Turkey offers low export prices of 25-30
cents per kilo.

According to the expert, even upon establishing collaboration with
Turkish winemakers to employ the potential of Western Armenian
wineries, RA will have to export the wine of Armenian origin under
Turkish brands.

As head of Armenian wine makers union explained, the above mentioned
strategy could be implemented only through both countries’ economic
integration. No serious changes in wine market are to be expected
within 10-15 years of border opening, he concluded.

VARDAN KHACHATRYAN:TURKISH PRESS GOES BEYOND ALL PERMISSIBLE LIMITS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.11.2009 16:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish press and officials have already gone beyond
all permissible limits with their statements concerning Karabakh
conflict settlement. But we must make them realize that we can’t
have similar approach to them in terms of resolving Kurdish issue,
MP Vardan Khachatryan told today a news conference in Yerevan. At
that he noted that Armenian side may also reject possibility of any
normalization unless Kurdish issue is resolved.

With regard to Karabakh conflict settlement, he announced that
Azerbaijani side makes implausible claims for getting the maximum.

"The situation has gone so far that Azeri President is now making
statements about Zangezur," Khachatryan said, adding that Armenia
should hold a firm stance on the issue.

A/H1N1 VIRUS CARRIERS’ NUMBER REACHES 15 IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.11.2009 17:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A/H1N1 virus swine flu carriers’ number reached 15
in Armenia, RA Healthcare Ministry press service reports.

At present, 6 out of 8 patients are discharged from Nork’s infectious
diseases hospital. The remaining 2 are placed under special care of
RA leading infectiologist Ara Asoyan. The expert gave satisfactory
assessment to patients’ current state of health.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WINEMAKING TO REDUCE BY SOME 40 PER CENT ON AN AVERAGE IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.11.2009 17:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In conditions of global financial and economic
crisis, wine production will reduce by 40 per cent on average
Avag Harutyunyan, chairman of the union of winemakers told a press
conference in Yerevan today.

"In the beginning, the decline reached 55-60%, it will amount to 30-40%
by the end of the year, " he said.

According to the chief winemaker, 70% of wine consumption comes from
Russia, the remaining 30% – from Europe.

Avag Harutyunyan informed that at the moment Armenia currently produce
0.5-1 million bottles, having annually 7.8 million bottles potential.

According to ethnographer Suren Pogosyan, the cultivation of higher
quality, truly Armenian grape require big resources, particularly
the cultivation of Voskevaz, the cost of which is much higher than
other varieties, " he said.

ARMENIA’S ECONOMY NOT TO BENEFIT FROM OPEN ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.11.2009 17:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Position of the Gnchak Social Democratic Party of
Armenia on normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations is clear, "we
oppose any restoration of relations with Turkey until it recognizes
the Armenian Genocide," Vahan Shirkhanian , board member of the
Gnchak Social Democratic Party of Armenia told a press conference in
Yerevan today.

According to him, Armenia did so, partly voluntarily, partly by
coercion. "Armenia is under superpowers’ pressure. Despite we are told
that normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations will be beneficial
to us, they won’t," Mr. Shirkhanyan said, adding that after opening
the borders between countries nothing will change and the economy of
Armenia will not win anything from this.

According to Vahan Shirkhanyan, Turkey has the following goals to
be attained through normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations:
failure of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide ,
recognition of the Treaty of Kars, resolution of the Karabakh conflict
in Azerbaijan’s favor, elimination of Russia’s military presence
in Armenia, limiting of Armenian-Iranian relationships, as well as
the implementation of Ankara-Gyumri-Yerevan-Nakhichevan-Meghri-Baku
rail way project.

SOCIETY TREATS ART AS SOMETHING USELESS, VAHE ARSEN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.11.2009 17:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Each author needs advertising, and awards and bonuses
are a specific kind of advertisement. But it is necessary to bear in
mind that awards are also means for encouraging a writer, Professor,
Doctor of Philology David Gasparyan told today journalists.

Present at the meeting was also Vahe Arsen. Both guests pointed out
to Armenian society’s indifference to art, particularly literature. "I
have written two big books about Aksel Bakunts and Yeghishe Charents,
perfectly realizing society’s indifference," Gasparyan noted. Society
currently treats art as something useless, Vahe Arsen finds.

Guests also agreed that people in Armenia do not have serious approach
to the sphere. "We must establish an institute of criticism. And
organizational issues should be tackled by the state. Government
should be interested in what society reads. Whereas, everything here
is maintained by pure enthusiasm," the poet noted.

Each author needs recognition and awards. It’s a different matter
when the writer himself refuses the award," Vahe Arsen told a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. "We are facing the problem of making proper
distribution of values, but our society is not ready for that. There
are talented writers, and there are awards. It is just necessary to
bring them together," Gasparyan said in conclusion.

ARMENIA TO TAKE PART IN UN FOOD ORGANIZATION’S SUMMIT IN ITALY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.11.2009 17:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian delegation led by Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan has left for Italy to take part in UN Food and Agriculture
Organization’s Summit, Government’s press service reports.

Among delegation members are Head of Government staff David Sargsyan,
Minister of Agriculture Gerasim Alaverdyan, Deputy FM Arman Kirakosyan
and other officials.

Armenian delegation will also have meetings with General Director of
organization, Head of International Fund for Agricultural Development
and Executive Director of UN International Food Program.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VAHAN SHIRKHANYAN: DASHNAKTSUTYUN IS NOT OPPOSITION WHILE ANC HAS NO IDEOLOGY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.11.2009 17:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Had opposition turned to people on September 1-2 and
kept them in streets for a couple of days, Armenian-Turkish Protocols
wouldn’t have been signed, member of Social-Democratic Hnchakyan Party
Vahan Shirkhanyan said. With regard to ARFD’s protest against signing
of Armenian-Turkish Protocols, politician said it might have attracted
more people had it been initiated by Armenian National Congress.

"Dashnaktsutyun is not opposition unlike ANC," he stressed, criticizing
the latter for not having an ideology,

"If people feel threats, that will create a new opposition,"
Shirkhanyan noted, not ruling out possibility of extraordinary
elections in case of normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations under
procedures proposed by President Serzh Sargsyan.

MP Vardan Khachatryan noted in turn that Armenian authorities and
society should unite to resist external pressures. "We must make use
of all possible political resources to curb the process," he said.