Month: February 2012

ARF MP: ARF LISTS NOT READY YET

Panorama.am
17/02/2012

Member of ARF parliamentary faction Ara Nranyan assured reporters
that ARF proportional list is not ready yet and it is not clear who
will head the list.

ARF has not yet discussed the issue of proportional or majority lists,
according to him.

“I declare with full responsibility that the party list is not ready,
and we will make it public when it is ready,” said the parliamentarian
adding that they never place a high value on election lists.

AGRICULTURE MINISTER’S SON DELAYS PAYMENT OF SALARIES TO WORKERS

Panorama.am
17/02/2012

Vachagan Karapetyan, the son of Minister of Agriculture Sergo
Karapetyan, the owner of Artashat Cannery, delays payment of salaries
to workers for months. A group of workers wishing to remain anonymous
told Hraparak they received their last salary in 2011 November.

“They said that the salary for December was only paid to the employees
who have newly married couples in their families and were going to
mark Tearnyndaraj,” writes the daily.

From: Baghdasarian

50 ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES TO GET $11MLN FROM WORLD BANK

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 17, 2012 – 14:22 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors
approved a US$11 million credit, the Third Additional Financing for
the Social Investment Fund III (ASIF III) Project for Armenia.

The Additional Financing will further assist the Government of
Armenia in its efforts to improve the living standards of the poor
and vulnerable groups by expanding labor-intensive infrastructure
projects in response to critical needs of the local communities.

The Project focuses on “infrastructure gaps” through renovation
and rehabilitation of secondary and special schools, kindergartens,
gymnasiums and playgrounds, primary health clinics, potable water
pipelines and sanitation systems, community-cultural and social
service centers, minor irrigation schemes throughout Armenia. In this
regard, the situation in Armenia’s rural areas, especially in remote
and isolated communities, and the earthquake zone, is particularly
severe. The Project targets those populations most affected by the
economic crisis, and the Additional Financing will help to meet these
and other needs over the medium-term.

The Additional Financing will support implementation of about 50
micro-projects aimed at infrastructure rehabilitation and improvement,
and will create short-term employment of up to 140,000 days of labor.

About 20 schools and kindergartens and 5 community centers will
benefit from improved furniture under the proposed project.

Total financing of the Additional Financing is US$ 14.6 million,
of which the Government of Armenia will finance US$2.9 million and
US$0.7 million will be provided by beneficiary communities. The IDA
credit in the amount of US11 million carries a maturity of 25 years
including a grace period of 5 years.

Since joining the World Bank in 1992 and IDA in 1993, the total IDA
and IBRD commitments to Armenia amount to US$1, 517 million.

MP SAYS OSKANIAN’S RETURN TO POLITICS TO HAVE NO IMPACT ON REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 17, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS: Membership of former foreign
minister of Armenia Vartan Oskanian to the Prosperous Armenia Party
(PAP) is neither positive nor negative, says MP from the Republican
Party of Armenia Manvel Badeyan. “It is personal choice of a person.

In my opinion Oskanian has never left politics,” he told a news
conference Friday.

He said Oskanian’s return to politics has no relation to the RPA,
it neither weakens, nor strengthens the Republican Party.

Referring to the talks about the possible flow of members of the RPA
to the PAP, Badeyan described it funny.

Former foreign minister of Nagorno Karabakh Republic Arman Melikyan
described Oskanian’s step as tactical one. “It is a step made before
the elections. From this viewpoint it is justified,” Arman Melikyan.

ARMENIAN CHURCH SERVES AS A UNIVERSITY BUILDING IN TURKEY

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 17, 2012
YEREVAN

ISTANBUL, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenian church in Canakkale,
Turkey, serves as a university building. The university rector said
he is proud that an Armenian church serves as one of the building of
the university.

Citing Turkish “Dogan”, Armenpress reports, the rector believes the
best way to preserve historical monuments is using them. “The unused
historical monuments are disappearing. We are proud of having a church
serving as a university building. There are no churches in Canakkale.

Besides, we do not have financial means to have a church,” the
rector said.

Canakkale Armenian church serves as a laboratory for the “March 18”
University’s faculty of Fine Arts.

MORE DEMOCRATIC NEIGHBORS ARE MORE PREDICTABLE, NSC SECRETARY SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 17, 2012 – 13:01 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – “Civil society is the key component of EU-Armenia
cooperation,” secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia
(NSC) Artur Baghdasaryan said at the opening of the workshop organized
by the EU Advisory Group.

Baghdasaryan noted that the Eastern Partnership initiative provides
an excellent opportunity to implement relevant reforms in the country.

NSC secretary also said that it plays an important role on the regional
level as well. “More democratic neighbors are more predictable;
one can cooperate with them,” he said.

Baghdasaryan expressed hope that following the implementation of
the Armenia-EU Action Plan 2012-2013 the Association Agreement can
be signed.

From: Baghdasarian

NAGORNO-KARABAKH AND AZERBAIJAN INCOMPATIBLE – MP

news.am
February 17, 2012 | 13:28

STEPANAKERT. – Status-quo is the only acceptable option in the
Karabakh peace process, Karabakh (Artsakh) MP Vahram Atanesyan said
during the international conference held in Stepanakert.

According to Atanesyan, OSCE Minsk Group mediators are trying to
condition unsettlement of the Karabakh conflict with preventing the
South Caucasus from European integration. However, the statement is
not serious and even groundless.

He stressed that Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan are incompatible.

Nagorno-Karabakh has passed 20 years of independence, Avetisyan
stressed adding that key issue is its development. In case of
external intervention, three will be no alternative to recognition
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The conference is held with information support of Armenian
News-NEWS.am agency.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN CHURCH CELEBRATED ST. VARTANANTS DAY TO MARK THE BATTLE OF AVARAYR
By Lilit Arakelyan

ArmeniaNow
16.02.12

Today the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Saint Vartanants Day,
the Feast of Saint Vartan the Captain and his Companions on February
16. In Yerevan, a procession from St. Zoravor Church to Vartan
Mamikonyan statue was held, followed by a festive party dedicated to
the holiday.

A divine liturgy has been served at all churches since morning, and
later a group of clergymen, youngsters, representatives of student
organizations and NGOs participated in the procession accompanied by
a brass band.

The Feast of St. Vartan the Captain and his 1,036 Companions (who are
sanctified by the Armenian Apostolic Church) marks their martyrdom
in May 451 in the battle of Avarayr, fighting for the freedom of
conscience and religion for the Armenian nation.

“This feast is dedicated to all Vartanants’ Companions, who have
consciously chosen to die for liberating their country and defending
their Christian faith. In this respect, this holiday encourages all
Armenian soldiers to be loyal to their homeland and to defend it,”
says priest Ter Shmavon Ghevondyan.

Vartanants Day is usually celebrated on Thursday preceding Lent. This
is a feast dedicated to the battle of those sacred captains, who
were written about by great Armenian historian Yeghishe, Armenian
writer Derenik Demirtchyan (with his ‘Vardanank’ historian novel),
and well-known Armenian painter Grigor Khanjyan (1926-2000) created
‘The Battle of Vardanank in AD 451’ mural which is now hosted by
Cafesjian Center for Arts.

From: Baghdasarian

ID MATTERS: JUSTICE MINISTER SAYS ONLY PASSPORTS WILL ENABLE ARMENIA CITIZENS TO VOTE
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan

ArmeniaNow
17.02.12 | 12:30

Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan

The government has come up with a proposal to change some language in
several laws after discovering that the new identification cards to be
introduced for Republic of Armenia citizens in June cannot be used for
stamping during elections as required by the amended Electoral Code.

Besides the Electoral Code, some other laws will have to be edited,
including the laws on citizens’ passports and identification cards.

Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan said at a government meeting on
Thursday that only the passport constitutes a legal document for the
country’s citizens to participate in ballots.

“It transpired during the preparation of identification cards that
they cannot have any paper material, or if they have, the degree of
their protection will essentially reduce. Therefore, only passports
are to be used as documents for elections,” the minister explained.

Ink and stamp will be applied on several voting-related documents
to exclude the possibility of multiple votes. Under Article 66,
paragraph 4, of the amended Electoral Code, “the member of the
commission responsible for putting a seal on the ballot envelopes
and for the ballot box shall seal the ballot envelope and allow the
elector to drop the ballot envelope into the ballot box only after
checking the presence of a stamp in the elector’s identification
document pertaining to participation in the given elections, and in
case no such stamp is present, only after putting such stamp on the
elector’s identification document.”

It was announced recently that a new anti-fraud mechanism will be
introduced ahead of the May parliamentary elections – for the first
time, voters in Armenia will have their passports dyed to indicate
that they have cast a ballot. The special ink from the British company
Lantrade Global will disappear off the document after 12 hours. The
Government’s Reserve Fund will spend about $43,000 on the project.

Armenian citizens, who now have a single passport for domestic use
and foreign trips, will need two separate ones after the introduction
of biometric passports and IDs later this year.

“One passport will be valid outside Armenia and the other one inside
Armenia. IDs can be alternatives to internal passports for domestic
use only,” said Tovmasyan.

Since the changes will come into effect in June, they will not concern
the May parliamentary elections.

Citizens will be able to use IDs as a legal document only within the
Republic of Armenia, while biometrical passports will be used for trips
abroad (the passport profile will include the prints of a citizen’s
forefingers of both hands). Receiving such a biometrical passport will
be voluntary and will come at a fee of 25,000 drams or about $65. But
even after June 1 citizens will be allowed to receive or prolong
their old passports that will remain valid both in Armenia and abroad.

From: A. Papazian

BORDER SECURITY ISSUES IN THE FOCUS OF ATTENTION OF RA PRESIDENT AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
Artak Barseghyan

“Radiolur”
17.02.2012 15:28

The interdepartmental committee monitoring the process of
implementation of the programs envisaged by RA border security strategy
convened a sitting today chaired by Secretary of the National Security
Council of Armenia Arthur Baghdasaryan.

Arthur Baghdasaryan noted in his opening remarks that the issue of
ensuring border security is always in the focus of attention of the
Armenian President and the National Security Council.

“We have registered positive developments in the sphere after the
adoption of the border security strategy. We have reached agreements
on modernization of the Armenia-Turkey and Armenia-Iran state borders.

We are effectively cooperating with the European Union, as well towards
modernization of the Armenia-Georgia state border. Our works have
entered a decisive stage, and we’ll soon have border infrastructures
corresponding to international standards at Bagratashen, Bavra and
Gogavan checkpoints,” Arthur Baghdasaryan said.

According to Baghdasaryan, the Council I snow negotiating with
EU corresponding structures on issues of methodical and technical
support. The Security Council will sign an agreement on cooperation
with FRONTEX – European Union’s Border Management Agency, which
envisages exchange of experience, preparation of specialists,
participation in joint actions and technical support.