Month: February 2012

AZERBAIJAN MAY DEMAND KARABAKH AS COMPENSATION TO PARTICIPATE IN ACTIONS AGAINST IRAN – EXPERT

NEWS.AM
February 10, 2012 | 14:46

YEREVAN. – Azerbaijan may demand compensation, such as Nagorno-Karabakh
or Iranian territories, for the participation in anti-Iranian actions,
Oriental Studies expert Ruben Safrastyan said at a press conference
on Friday.

The expert said that aggressive ideas have already been expressed by
Azerbaijani ruling party.

Meantime, he believes military actions against Iran are unlikely
to start, at least at the current stage. Safrastyan said if anyhow
wide-range military operations are launched, than Azerbaijani territory
will be used. And in this case it may demand compensation in order
to provide its territory as settling the Karabakh conflict through
force or Iranian territories.

From: Baghdasarian

US NOT TO LAUNCH WAR AGAINST IRAN FEARING TO LOSE IRANIANS’ AFFECTION – ARMENIAN EXPERT

news.am
February 10, 2012 | 14:40

YEREVAN. – Serious people in the West will consider lots of factors
prior to launching military actions against Iran, Oriental Studies
expert Ruben Safrastyan said at a press conference on Friday.

The expert said the fact that Iran is not Iraq but also a more powerful
state with lots of allies will be taken into account.

“It is also important for the U.S. that majority of the Iranian
population is well with America and it will not like to lose this,”
the expert said adding the existence of great Iranian Diaspora,
including in the U.S.

In response to the question why he believes military actions against
Iran are unlikely to start, Safrastyan said first Russia will not
want war on its frontiers. Hence, the UN Security Council cannot
approve the decision. China will likely to be against as well.

According to him, in case escalation of the situation, Russia will
make serious moves, similar to 1990s when Turkey brought closer its
troops to the border with Armenia. Regarding Iran, more possible
variant is not planning military actions but provocations.

AMERICANS NEED NEW ENEMY TO DIVERT PEOPLE’S ATTENTION

news.am
February 08, 2012 | 02:03

YEREVAN. – US, Israel, UK, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are engaged in
propaganda war against Iran, said political analyst from Russian
Geopolitic’s Problems Arayik Sargsyan.

“It is too early to say whether the war will turn into hostilities.

Iran is not Iraq or Libya, it is a powerful country with a mighty
army. Super powers realize that war against Iran is fraught with
serious consequences,” he told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The expert stressed that in the long term perspective the final goal
of U.S. is China.

“The goal is to weaken China’s economy. It is a game. May Iran be the
first link in a chain? I doubt, as there is Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan is being discussed.

Americans are fleeing,” he added.

The Americans are scared being at home, the expert said adding that the
events in Oakland (California) were not widely spread by media outlets.

“Power was seized and the flag burnt in the city. Police was firing
at people, many were injured. The economic crisis is due. Americans
need a new enemy, for instance Iran or Pakistan, to divert people’s
attention from domestic problems,” he concluded.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA’S EX-PREMIER ON ‘OLIGARCHIC TRANFORMATION’

Tert.am
10.02.12

The bill restricting cash transactions is an attempt to turn importer
oligarchs into financial oligarchs rather than a means of shadow
control, Armenia’s ex-premier Hrant Bagratyan told journalists
on Friday.

“It is our problem now that this man worked for a bank, and the
agricultural sector is in charge of a machine-operator,” Bagratyan
said, alluding to Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Minister
of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan.

“They say that transactions worth more than three million should be
effected by means of banks. Tigran Sargsyan is making them financial
oligarchs,” Bargaryan said.

He recalled the installation of cash registers, which, according to
him, did not at all increase budget revenues.

To susbstantiate his statements, Mr Bagratyan referrs to a 2011
report by Transparency International. According to the report, shadow
economy’s share was 53% in Armenia.

According to Bagratyan, that figure is the same as in 1996, when the
Nagorno-Karabakh war had just ended and Armenia was a young state.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA’S AUTHORITIES SURE TO RIG ELECTIONS – OPPOSITION REP

Tert.am
10.02.12

If the MPs of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) vote in place
of others now, they will certainly rig the parliamentary elections,
Vahan Hovhannisyan, Chairman of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) parliamentary group, stated at a news briefing
Friday.

This is evidence that “the ruling force is not a force at all,”
he added.

On Thursday, journalists working in Armenia’s parliament noted some
RPA group members voting in place of their associates.

Larisa Alaverdyan and Anahit Bakhshyan of the Heritage parliamentary
group stated that Armenia’s authorities do not respect society.

They do not believe the authorities’ promises of free and fair
elections.

With respect to the bill on bodygaurd, Hovhannisyan considers it one of
the most important bills as it deals with oligarchs and their behavior.

“The government asked for time to work out the training and working
procedures for bodyguard,” Hovhannisyan said.

From: A. Papazian

HHK REMOVED FROM LIST

02:21 pm | Today | Politics

SDHK Vahan Shirkhanyan, a member of the Social-Democrat Hnchak Party
(SDHK) does not agree that the authorities should hand in resignation.

“If they work properly, you can stay in power,” Shirkhanyan told a
press conference on Feb. 10.

“If during the elections the authorities prove that they are on the
right path, they can remain in power without violence,” he said.

At the same time, the SDHK member underlined that the existing social
problems will have their impact on the outcome of the elections.

“They can result in destabilization and states of emergency,” he said.

Speaking about the bill which allows the involvement of the army during
the state of emergency, Mr Shirkhanyan said, “The troops should be
put on alert on borders during the state of emergency.”

Speaking about the upcoming parliamentary elections, the SDHK
representative said his party had not decided on the format of its
participation.

“Discussions are still continuing,” he said adding that the SDHK was
not going to ally with the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK).

By a vote of 64 to 0 and 7 abstentions the Armenian National Assembly
passed on Thursday the government-drafted bill on “Establishment of the
legal regime of the state of emergency. The bill envisages involvement
of the army during the state of emergency. The interference of the
armed forces will be acceptable in case if the forces of the Police
and the national security services are not enough.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUBEN SAFRASTYAN: WEST TO UNDERSTAND IRAN ISN’T IRAQ

Panorama.am
10/02/2012

Military operations against Iran to be imposed by the West is little
possible in the near future, Ruben Safrastyan, director of Institute
of Oriental Studies, said in a news conference Friday.

“Military operations against Iran will be disaster not only for
Armenia, but for the neighbor countries and many others,” Ruben
Safrastyan said.

Still the expert thinks military operations won’t resume.

“I’m hopeful the West will take into account that Iran is not Iraq. In
spiritual and military terms Iran is a more powerful state. They
should also consider the influence of two million Iranian Diaspora,
the great part of which live in US,” said the expert.

Ruben Safrastyan thinks Russia can have a pivotal role in this respect,
as Russia will never allow massive military operations to be carried
out near its borders.

BELARUSIAN LEASING COMPANY TO ENTER ARMENIA’S FINANCIAL MARKET

news.am
February 10, 2012 | 15:53

YEREVAN. – The Belarusian Promagroleasing leasing company wishes to
enter Armenia’s financial market, and, in all likelihood, it will
soon open its branch in the capital Yerevan, Agriculture Minister
Sergo Karapetyan said during a press conference on Friday.

Karapetyan also informed that this company is offering fairly
beneficial conditions for those who wish to acquire agricultural
equipment. Specifically, the annual interest rate will be 4 percent,
a 6-year loan will be provided to obtain combines, and 8-year loans
for acquiring tractors.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, the Russian Rosagroleasing
leasing company likewise has expressed a wish to enter Armenia’s
financial market.

MPS VOTING FOR OTHERS IS PROOF THAT PRESIDENT’S PROMISE OF DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IS A LIE, SAYS DASHNAK MP

epress.am
02.10.2012

Yesterday’s incident of lawmakers voting for others in Armenia’s
National Assembly wasn’t the first – there have been other preposterous
atrocities, said Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun,
or ARF-D) MP Vahan Hovhannisyan, speaking to reporters in the capital
today.

Recall, Heritage Party MP Larisa Alaverdyan on Thursday drew attention
to the fact that there were fewer deputies in the room than those who
voted in favor of a law on emergency rule, implying that lawmakers
were casting votes for their colleagues who were absent.

“This means that the ruling political power is really not a power,
but a power forced by strength – it is able neither to convince
nor to place its words as truth. It is even unable to organize its
own faction’s voting; a vivid example of this occurred several days
ago when one of the coalition parties left the room [referring to
Prosperous Armenia lawmakers who boycotted the assembly, as a result
of which the Republican Party of Armenia was unable to pass a bill
into law]. Having the absolute majority, the Republican Party of
Armenia is unable to pass a law. This isn’t a new phenomena, but
perhaps could overcome its own feebleness. Pressing a button for
someone else describes not only the button-pushers, but also their
faction – this speaks of the entire political system.

“If you have a disregard for and can bypass the law in order to
achieve your goal, then why should I believe that you, despite all
your promises, will hold democratic elections in Armenia?” asked
Hovhannisyan.

If the sole purpose of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia and its
leaders is to remain in power, the Dashnaktsutyun MP continued, and to
pass even but a single law they value their goal more highly than the
country’s, the parliament’s and their dignity, and if they are adopting
such measures to achieve this goal then they will always do so.

HERITAGE STATEMENT ON EPP OBSERVER STATUS AND POLITICAL CORRUPTION IN ARMENIA

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:37:09 – 10/02/2012

The Heritage Party is pleased to have been granted observer membership
in the European People’s Party by decision of its Political Assembly
meeting in Brussels.

Heritage has been an ideological carrier of EPP values from its
inception, and to date has taken consistent part in the activities of
the EPP group at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,
Euronest, OSCE and elsewhere.

We are encouraged by the opportunities afforded us by the achievement
of observer status, which also is shared by the ruling Republican
Party and its coalition partner the Country of Laws Party.

At the same time we are deeply concerned, on this eve of parliamentary
and presidential elections in our country, by the unprecedented level
of political corruption prevalent here.

In addition to the flagrant examples of conflicts of interest between
public duty and partisan gain as outlined in Heritage chairman
Raffi K. Hovannisian’s good-faith letter, dated 21 November 2011, to
Republican Party chairman and incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan,
together with his unresponsive outburst in reaction thereto,
the National Assembly-in which all three EPP observer members are
represented-continues to offer haven to electoral theft and political
forgery.

One recurrent episode took place on the very day EPP observer status
was conferred and the three parties acceded to a common declaration
of intentions and principles. In keeping with a long tradition of
voting fraud both at the polls and in parliament, various individuals
representing the EPP-observing coalition, with the conscious
assent and attempted cover-up of the legislature’s leadership (again
observer party members), were complicit in the commission of outright
falsification, that is, the unlawful casting of votes in the place
of absent colleagues and in plain view of fellow MPs, journalists,
and the public. On this occasion, the foregoing was done for the
parliamentary majority’s illegitimate securing first of a quorum and
then of their desired outcomes on several measures of substance.

In the event of even one further instance of this criminal conduct-in
the National Assembly, at the Presidency, or during the upcoming
elections-the Heritage Party will be unable to reconcile, whether
politically, ethically or otherwise, its participation in the great
family of European parties known as EPP with the presence of those
responsible for such anti-democratic, anti-Armenian, and anti-European
demeanor.

In this connection, but as a matter to be treated separately,
we cannot but express our consternation upon the Armenian prime
minister’s recent public endorsement of a serving foreign official’s
candidacy for his country’s presidency.

At this critical juncture, we are at once extremely proud of our EPP
belonging and extremely troubled-for Armenia and for all Europe-by
the endless divide between the words and deeds of the Republic’s de
facto rulers.

And we so very much regret that this statement has become necessary.