Month: February 2012

ARMENIAN JOURNALIST PLACES NO HOPES ON LOCAL COURTS

news.am
February 07, 2012 | 13:08

YEREVAN. – Haykakan Zhamanak daily’s journalist Hayk Gevorgyan is
currently waiting for his questioning, but under the verified status,
Gevorgyan himself stated during a press conference on Tuesday.

He will see to it that the case-with respect to his hitting a citizen
with his car and leaving him helpless-be fully exposed. “I should
leave a man helpless and go? Such thing is theoretically impossible.

The case will be exposed, so that no stain is left on my reputation,”
Gevorgyan said.

The journalist also informed that he does not place much hope on
Armenia’s courts, and that he is prepared to file a petition even
with the European Court.

Hayk Gevorgyan also spoke about several violations against him,
and stressed that what transpired with him was conditioned on his
journalistic activities.

To note, Gevorgyan was taken into custody on February 3 and
transferred to prison. He is accused of hitting a citizen with his
car. But Haykakan Zhamanak’s editorial staff stated that this was
untrue. Gevorgyan was released from prison, on Monday, on signature
bond.

ARMENIAN WOMEN, WHO WERE ENTERTAINING RESTAURANT PATRONS, ARE ARRESTED IN TURKEY

news.am
February 07, 2012 | 10:01

Eighteen foreign women-including two minors-, who were working in a
restaurant in Turkey’s Kocaeli province, are taken into custody.

These women were illegally working as entertainers for the restaurant’s
patrons, Turkey’s Anadolu News Agency informs.

And there are women from Armenia among the arrestees. It is noted
that these women were taken to the department on foreigners’ affairs,
and that they will be deported from Turkey.

EX POLITICAL PRISONER WITHDRAWS CLAIM FROM ECHR

Tert.am
07.02.12

A former political prisoner, Suren Sirunyan, has asked the European
Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to return his claim accusing the Armenian
authorities of persecuting people for political views.

In his letter to the Court, Sirunyan (who is an activist of the
opposition Armenian National Congress ANC), said his decision is not
caused by pressures or influence by the authorities.

“That’s my form of protest against the ANC’s current steps. I don’t
want to become a tool for narrow political interests,” he told
reporters on Tuesday.

The claim signed by Sirunyan and several other political prisoners
was submitted to the ECtHR 1.5 years ago.

“I said in my letter that I now better realize that lodging a claim
against Armenia has nothing to do with my principles,” the activist
said, noting that he no longer considers himself a political prisoner.

Sirunyan said that dozens of peoples have joined his protest, adding
that his decision to quit the opposition alliance will be officially
announced in a few days.

ARMENIAN COLUMNIST SEVAN NISHANYAN JAILED IN TURKEY

Tert.am
07.02.12

An Istanbul based Armenian columnist, Sevan Nishanyan, has been jailed
for five months for an alleged illegal construction.

According to NTV, the plan to build a cemetery carved into a rock in
Selcuk region (Izmir province; historical Armenian name: Zmyurnia)
was the cause of his detention this time.

Earlier Nishanyan had been several times detained over allegations
of illegal construction. Turkish courts have so far issued separate
rulings against him, threatening the Turkish-Armenian intellectual
with overall 17 years in prison. But all the cases have been appealed.

After renovating 16 desolate constructions through his own means,
Nishanyan started operating them as hotels. The rebuilding of those
facilities, that later became known as Nishanyan’s houses, later
entailed 16 separate lawsuits against the intellectual.

HRAPARAK: VLADIMIR GASPARYAN CHIEF OF ARMENIA’S POLICE WITH SHORTEST TERM IN OFFICE?

Tert.am
07.02.12

Vladimir Gasparyan will either “secure a firm foothold” in office
or prove to be chief of independent Armenia’s police with the the
shortest term in office.

The detention of Haik Gevorgyan, Copy Editor of the Haykakan Zhamanak
(Armenian Times) daily, and his release just three days later will
certainly produce such an outcome.

Last Saturday, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan stated that the
judicial inquiry into the case would not last long, and he would
voice his opinion after the court issued its ruiling. The president’s
“humble” statement suggests he is going to keep track of the process.

“If the court acquits the journalist, we will witness a series of
resignations,” the newspaper writes.

YEREVAN OPERA HOUSE TO CLOSE FOR REPAIRS?

Tert.am
07.02.12

Amid the plans to start repairs at the National Academic Opera
and Ballet Theatre, the creative groups voice concerns that their
employment contracts were this year extended only for two months
instead of one year (as done previously).

But the Opera House director, Kamo Hovhannisyan, says the groups will
continue working, and get paid. Speaking to Tert.am, he confirmed
the report on the plans to launch repairs in 1-1.5 months.

“Yes, this year we signed the contracts for two months because the
theatre may close down for a couple of months,” he said, emphasizing
that only the Opera stage will undergo repairs.

“The stage will be closed, but the rehearsal rooms will operate. We
are going to work, in general and have two new performances for this
year,” Hovhannisyan added.

He said further that the repairs will be implemented through budgetary
allocations and loans from an Austrian financing company.

As to how the theatre is going to work without the stage, Hovhannisyan
said that the administration has decided to bridge that gap by staging
performances in other cities and towns.

The list of the two performances includes two operas – Carmen (Georges
Bizet) and La Boheme ( Giacomo Puccini)-, and one ballet – Giselle.

From: Baghdasarian

COMMODITY TURNOVER BETWEEN ARMENIA AND RUSSIA UP 15.8% TOTALING AROUND 1 BILLION DOLLARS IN 2011

arminfo
Tuesday, February 7, 14:00

Commodity turnover between Armenia and Russia was up 15.8% totaling
around 1 billion dollars in 2011 (994.4 mln dollars), Vice Premier
of Russia Victor Zubkov said at a joint briefing with Armenian Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan on Tuesday.

He called it a record-breaking indicator for the last 4 years.

Nevertheless, Zubkov said, the two countries have more potential and
the current level of commodity turnover can be increased. Russia
is ready to support Armenia in the fields of seed growing, cattle
breeding and import of agricultural equipment. “Rosselkhozbank and
Rosagroleasing are expected to open branches in Armenia. The loan
book of Rosselkhozbank totals 1.5 bln rubles. It is the biggest
bank in Russia,” the Vice Premier said. The statutory capital of
Rosagroleasing amounts to 80 billion rubles. A poultry joint venture
may be established in future, in particular, a turkey breeding
company. There are also good opportunities for cooperation in the
education and culture sectors. Zubkov said that Lomonosov Moscow
State University is expected to open a branch in Armenia shortly. A
strategic cooperation project for 2020 is currently developed. The
project will be submitted to the Armenian-Russia Intergovernmental
Commission for consideration. “We have a big desire to actively
cooperate with Armenia,” the Russian vice premier said.

DIRECTOR OF TESTING AND ASSESSMENT CENTER (TAC) OF ARMENIA REPLACED

arminfo
Tuesday, February 7, 13:05

Head of the Armenian Government Administration has appointed Arsen
Baghdasaryan, Deputy Director of the Testing and Assessment Center
(TAC), Doctor’s degree in Medical and Physical Sciences, Professor,
to the post of ACT Director, ACT spokesperson Gayane Manykyan told
ArmInfo.

A. Baghdasaryan replaced Gurgen Khachatryan on the post of the
ACT Director. Khachatryan resigned voluntarily to take his previous
office, specifically, to head the ACT Department for Task Development
and Methodology.

Manukyan recalled that earlier Khachatyan said he had been appointed
Head of the Electoral Commission at the polling station No2 and had
to choose between the two responsible positions.

Gurgen Khachatryan was appointed ACT Director in 2010.

OBAMA EMBRACES TURKISH TYRANNY
Jonathan S. Tobin

02.06.2012 – 5:45 PM

President Obama may have bragged to Fareed Zakaria in TIME last month
about his close relations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
but a better understanding of the sort of leader that the president
values via an op-ed in today’s Washington Post. Turkish opposition
leader Kemal Kılıcdaroglu outlined the vast scale of human rights
abuses and suppression of dissent that has become routine under Erdogan
with hundreds of journalists, politicians military officers and other
dissenters languishing in prison for years without being charged.

While some in Washington excitedly talk of Turkey’s ruling Islamic
party being the preferred model for the Muslim world, the reality is
that Ankara’s path is one that is headed steadily away from democracy
and toward more hostility toward the West and the United States.

As Kılıcdaroglu makes clear, tyranny is the only word to describe
Turkey under Erdogan and his AKP:

The AKP is systematic and ruthless in its persecution of any opposition
to its policies. Authoritarian pressure methods such as heavy tax
fines and illegal videotaping and phone tapping are widely used to
silence opponents. …

It all boils down to this: In today’s Turkey, when one criticizes the
justice system, one is prosecuted. When one appeals to the courts,
one is penalized.

Given the fact that the Obama administration is probably less
interested in human rights concerns abroad than any American government
in generations, it is no surprise that none of this seems to alarm
the White House. But it should also put Obama on the spot since he
has not only failed to press the Turks on their anti-Israel policy
but has become Ankara’s leading cheerleader on the international scene.

The administration has taken a sanguine attitude about the rise of
the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt while speaking of the Turks as the
example they wish the Islamists there to follow. But as troubling
as this apathy about the dangers of Islamist rule may be to the
regional balance of power with Israel, it is now becoming apparent
that the human cost of this decision will also be considerable. The
only difference is that it has taken almost a decade for Erdogan to
gain the leverage to suppress his foes. It won’t take that long for
the Brotherhood.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ALL THE PROBLEMS IN THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS AZERBAIJAN’S FAULT: ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER OF NKR

arminfo
Tuesday, February 7, 11:58

“We do not agree with some political experts saying that the
negotiations have faced a deadlock and it is necessary to change the
format of the OSCE Minsk Group etc.

The Minsk Group is fulfilling its mission, while all the problems in
the negotiation process are due to Azerbaijan’s fault. That country
has never tried to search for compromises and has always used
the negotiation process for its anti-Armenian propaganda,” Vasily
Atajanyan, Acting Foreign Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,
said in an interview with Vestnik TV program of the Russian Service
of the NKR Public Television.

According to ArmInfo’s correspondent to Stepanakert, V. Atajanyan
said that in 2011 the foreign political course of the NKR intensified
mostly due to the NKR president’s visits to Europe and USA where he
introduced the essence of the Karabakh conflict and the peace process
to parliamentarians and other officials. The acting minister stressed
the role of the permanent representations and diplomatic missions of
NKR at foreign organization in meeting the present-day challenges.

Asked about the necessity of confidence building measures for the
conflicting parties, Atajanyan said that Azerbaijan has always ignored
these measures, unlike Armenia and Artsakh that have been raising that
issue from the very beginning of the negotiation process. For instance,
he said, Baku categorically rejected the suggestion to remove snipers
from the line of contact of the NKR and Azerbaijan armed forces as
well as request to increase financing of the OSCE CIO PR Office to
inquiry into the incidents on the line of the contact.

As for the so-called “inter-community” dialogue, Vasily Atajanyan
said, it threatens the entire negotiation process. “One can see here
Turkey’s scenario towards the Cyprian problem. And Azerbaijan tries to
turn the negotiations into an inter-community settlement process. We
will never agree with such format,” he said. The status of the NKR
cannot be lower than it actually is, he said, and the resolution
should start with determination of NKR’s status.