Month: February 2012

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR HOLDS MEETINGS IN LEBANON

Tert.am
17.02.12

On Thursday, Armenian Ambassador to Lebanon Ashot Kocharyan held
meetings with Lebanese Minister of Culture Gaby Layoun and Beirut
Mayor Bilal Hamad.

The sides discussed resumption of bilateral cultural programs and
prospects for cooperation between Yerevan and Beirut.

Ambassador Kocharyan conveyed to Mayor Bilal Hamad and Minister
Gaby Layoun an official invitation to the celebration of the 500th
anniversary of book-printing in Armenia and of declaration of Yerevan
World Book Capital City this year.

Ambassador Kocharyan announced Armenia’s intention to hold days of
culture in Lebanon, which will contribute to bilateral cultural ties.

Ambassador Kocharyan and Minister Layoun discussed organization of
an annual festival of Armenian music in Lebanon.

SERBS REJECT KOSOVO ALBANIAN RULE IN REFERENDUM

Noyan Tapan
2012-02-17

Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo have rejected rule by the territory’s
ethnic Albanian majority, in a referendum criticised by Serbia and
the EU.

Kosovo Serb officials said 99.7% of voters said “no” to the Kosovo
government in Pristina.

About 90% of Kosovo’s population is ethnic Albanian, but Serbs dominate
a northern area bordering on Serbia.

Kosovo Serbs have ignored Pristina’s decisions and obstructed the EU
and Nato law and order mission in Kosovo.

Correspondents say the two-day referendum may complicate Serbia’s
efforts to develop a dialogue with the Pristina authorities and to
further the Serbian bid to join the EU.

Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 is not
recognised by Belgrade.

The Kosovo parliament in Pristina denounced the Serbs’ referendum
this week in a resolution, saying it “does not produce any legally
and politically binding effect and as such is not valid”.

Kosovo has about 120,000 ethnic Serbs, of whom 40,000 live in the
north and the rest in scattered enclaves to the south, AFP news
agency reports.

Serbian President Boris Tadic said the referendum was harmful to
Serbia’s interests.

ZHOGHOVURD: BUSINESSWOMAN SILVA HAMBARDZUMYAN TO BID FOR PARLIAMENT

Tert.am
17.02.12

The paper says it has learned from sources that businesswoman Silva
Hambardzumyan is determined to join the parliamentary campaign
and is planning to propose her candidacy in one of the 41 majority
constituencies in Armenia.

Speaking to the paper, the businesswoman confirmed her plan to run for
election, but declined to say which constituency she will represent.

“Yes I am going to propose my candidacy, and will make a statement
one of these days to say in which constituency I will be nominated. I
am also going to join a political party, but I will not now say which
one. I will announce that at a news conference, ” the businesswoman
was quoted as telling the paper.

Citing its sources, the paper claims that the businesswoman is going
to join the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA).

THE ARMENIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PARTICIPATED IN THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE OF THE PARIS PACT HELD IN VIENNA

Noyan Tapan
2012-02-17

On February 16, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian attending the
Third Ministerial Conference of the Paris Pact Partners dedicated
to the fight against opiates trafficking from Afghanistan. The
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the high-ranking
delegations of around five dozen countries attended the conference
and delivered speeches.

Edward Nalbandian addressed a speech during the meeting chaired by
the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Russia, France and Austria Sergey
Lavrov, Alain Juppe and Michael Spindelegger.

In his speech the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs presented
Armenia’s contribution to the fight of the international community
against illicit drug trade and reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to
continue actively supporting to the international efforts aimed
at reduction and eradication of illicit drug production, trade and
trafficking.

In Vienna Edward Nalbandian’s agenda was full of bilateral meetings.

Foreign Minister Nalbandian had a meeting with Lamberto Zannier,
the OSCE Secretary General.

In the course of the meeting the interlocutors had a thorough talk
on the recent developments in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue. In this context, the OSCE Secretary General expressed concern
over the maintenance of tension on the line of contact and stressed
the importance to create mechanism for the investigation of incidents.

The Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and OSCE Secretary General
touched upon the preparatory works for the upcoming parliamentary
elections to be held in Armenia, as well.

In Vienna Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with his Russian counterpart
Sergey Lavrov, as well.

During the meeting of the Ministers, the bilateral agenda issues,
and international and regional developments were touched upon.

Edward Nalbandian and Sergey Lavrov discussed the issues related
to the improvement of the legal framework existing between the two
countries. The Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated the
invitation presented to his Russian counterpart to visit Yerevan.

The meeting with Ambassador Eoin O’Leary, the Chairman of the OSCE
Permanent Council took place in Vienna, as well.

Minister Nalbandian presented Armenia’s support to the implementation
of the Irish Chairmanship’s priorities in the OSCE.

Edward Nalbandian and Ambassador Eoin O’Leary touched upon the
scheduled visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ireland and
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Eamon Gilmore to Armenia.

The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was on the agenda of the
meeting, as well. In this regard, Ambassador Eoin O’Leary reaffirmed
the support of the Irish Chairmanship of the OSCE to the efforts
being undertaken by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

Edward Nalbandian met with Michael Spindelegger, the Vice Chancellor
and Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the
Republic of Austria.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Austria discussed the
preparatory works of the visit of the Austrian President to Armenia
scheduled this year.

Ministers Nalbandian and Spindelegger had a thorough talk on the ways
to expand bilateral cooperation in various spheres, deepening of the
interaction in the frames of international organizations. The sides
exchanged views on international agenda and regional issues.

The next meeting of the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs was
with Milan Rochen, Montenegro’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and
EU integration.

The agenda of the meeting included the issues related to the
expansion of a legal framework existing between the two countries, the
development of an economic interaction, and decentralized cooperation,
as well as upcoming visit of Montenegro’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
and EU integration to Yerevan.

In Vienna Edward Nalbandian gave an extensive interview to the leading
Austrian newspaper “Der Standard”.

On the same day, concluding his visit, Edward Nalbandian returned
back to Yerevan.

POLICE DISPERSE MASHTOTS PARK ACTIVISTS
Sona Avagyan

hetq
12:50, February 17, 2012

Earlier today, around 70 police showed up at Mashtots Park in Yerevan
and dispersed a crowd of activists who had been staging a picket to
protest the construction of stores in the public green space.

Yerevan Police Chief Nerses Nazaryan was on hand when the cops evicted
the protestors and got into a debate with Heritage Party MP Zaruhie
Postanjyan, who argued that the construction was illegal.

Zaven Arakelyan, Head of the Yerevan Municipality’s Department of
Legal Affairs, then pulled out a bunch of papers that he claimed were
permits for the construction.

The police chief then got on the phone for instructions from
higher-ups.

THE CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY OF SLOVAKIA INTRODUCES COOPERATION PROGRAMS
Svetlana Khachatrian

Wednesday, 15 February 2012 05:47

On the initiative of the Forum of Armenian Associations of Europe
(Chairman – Ashot Grigorian), a Slovakian delegation paid a two-day
visit to Artsakh, comprising first Chairman (former) of the National
Council of the Slovakian Republic Frantisek Miklosko, Rector of the
Central European University of Skalica city Heyde Shvartsova, and
businessmen. The delegation visited the Artsakh State University to
offer establishment of cooperation.

Before the meeting, the guests paid tribute to the memory of the
students deceased at the Artsakh War. A meeting took place at ArSU
Rector Stephan Dadayan, which was attended by the university’s
pro-rectors, deans, and other officials. The rectors of the Artsakh
and Slovakian universities briefly introduced their activities. The
Central European University of Skalica city is peculiar for giving a
universal European diploma to its students. According to FAAE Chairman
Ashot Grigorian, few universities in Europe have this right and it is
a great achievement that such a university expressed its readiness
to cooperate with the Artsakh University. Within the cooperation,
the universities will exchange students, organize mutual visits of
lecturers, and back scientific programs. Taking lectures at this
university for certain period and on graduating from the ArSU,
they will get the European University diploma, along with the one
of the ArSU. The program will be financed by the Vishegrad quadruple
(Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) foundation.

Mr. Dadayan approved the proposal on cooperation. The universities’
rectors signed and endorsed the agreement.

In 2009, the Central European University of Slovakia concluded an
agreement with the Yerevan Russian-Armenian Slavonic University,
successfully cooperating with it.

Slovakia was the first state to adopt a bill criminalizing the denial
of the Armenian Genocide. The Slovakian delegation members believe that
the political issue of Artsakh should be achieved also via educational
and cultural programs. According to them, a symposium on the Karabakh
issue is to be held in May in the city of Skalica.

From: Baghdasarian

VIDEO: ARTISTS PROTEST PRACTICE OF BUYING VOTES, PAINT THE TOWN RED

epress.am
02.17.2012

Local art-activist group Art Laboratory, as a response to the Feb. 12
mayoral elections in the city of Hrazdan, yesterday “painted the town
red’, so to speak.

The “performance” (which could be deemed agitprop), called Against
Buying Votes, involved two members of the group spray painting
“5000 AMD” on the snow in various parts of the capital. Recall,
5,000 Armenian drams is the amount one woman said was promised to
Hrazdan citizens if they voted in the elections.

In the video below, passers-by are heard asking the artists what
political party they belong to, to which the latter reply, “None. This
is a protest against buying votes.”

The artists also left their “5000 AMD” mark outside the Central
Electoral Commission’s offices – which didn’t seem to please the
police officer on duty who promptly began to wipe out the writing on
the snow with his feet.

BAKU CANCELS RUSSIAN FILM SCREENING BECAUSE OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

epress.am
02.17.2012

A group of Facebook activists have asked the Park Cinema in Baku
to cancel its planned Feb. 21 screening of the Russian film August
Eighth – the title referencing the Russo-Georgian war in August 2008,
Regnum reports.

The group calls the screening unacceptable in Azerbaijan, “where
Armenia carried out aggression with Russia’s support.” Seeing
parallels with Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan over the
disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, they believe the film justifies
Russian aggression against Georgia (in South Ossetia), and endorses
Russian hegemony in the South Caucasus.

The theatre administration was warned that if the screening proceeded
as planned, the group would conduct a public campaign to boycott
the film.

In response to the “concern of Azerbaijani society”, the theatre
cancelled the screening and removed advertisements for the film.

Director Janik Faiziyev co-wrote the film with American screenwriter
Michael A. Lerner. The plot follows a divorced woman from Moscow who
sends her 7-year-old son to Tskhinvali, Georgia, to be with his father,
when the August 2008 war erupts and she must travel to the front lines
to save her son. In between, she battles giant robots and other sci-fi
elements. Shooting took place in Moscow, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia.

LIVE BLOG: POLICE PREVENT ACTIVISTS FROM APPROACHING KIOSKS AS CONTROVERSIAL CONSTRUCTION RESUMES IN PARK

epress.am
02.17.2012

Police officers today came in droves to the park off Mashtots
St. between Aram and Buzand streets adjacent to the maternity
hospital where environmentalists for nearly a week non-stop have been
protesting the construction of commercial kiosks in one of the city’s
few remaining green spaces. For one week, the activists practicing
civil disobedience weren’t allowing workers to continue building the
kiosks. Today, however, police didn’t allow protestors near the kiosks.

As reported by the Epress.am correspondent on site, police have
formed a human chain around the kiosks while construction workers
tend to their work. This roused the ire of not only activists, but
also opposition MP Zaruhi Postanjyan who is on the scene and also
opposes the kiosk construction.

Also on site are Sardarapat movement members Jirair Sefilian and
Garegin Zukaszyan, and Green Party of Armenia leader Armenak Dovlatyan,
with more supporters arriving.

11:51 am: While police officers are keeping an eye on the kiosks,
activists have stood in front of the concrete-mixing transport truck,
blocking it from moving forward. The driver stepped out of the truck,
threatening the activists: “Now I’ll hit you over the head with this
metal rod.”

1:04 pm: Joining the activists is Kajaran village mayor Rafik Atayan,
who with the same group of activists since last year has been opposing
mine exploitation near his village.

1:17 pm: Activists and supporters insist that despite the cold,
they’re not preparing to leave the park at all today.

1:18 pm: Protestors, joined by Heritage Party MP Stepan (Styopa)
Safaryan, are waiting for Yerevan Police Chief Nerses Nazaryan to
bring the papers stating the construction is legal.

1:19 pm: Sardarapat movement member, filmmaker Tigran Khzmalyan told
Epress.am if a “wave of revolution” begins in Armenia, then it’ll
begin right here, from Mashtots park. According to him, though the
number of protesting youth is not great, they are strong and it’s
this strength that will put an end to the authorities’ rule.

From: A. Papazian

EMIGRATION MAY BE A CURSE

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 14:38:49 – 17/02/2012

“I agree with the observations that the poverty level in Armenia
has increased since 2009”, said today, the Head of the World Bank
Armenia office Jean-Michel Happy noting that it impacted the positive
achievements of the country.

He also noted that the protraction of the economic growth in the
beginning of 2009 is worrying. “The 2010 2.1% and the 2012 4.6%
economic growth is not enough to create necessary jobs which would
mitigate the social situation”, he said adding that reforms must be
accelerated focusing on the creation of jobs.

Happy did not deny the emigration rate has increased. “Emigration
can help, it can be favorable but it may also be a curse because it
can promote the emigration of brains. The answer to this issue is
the following – creation of jobs especially for the youth”, said Happy.