Month: February 2012

ARAM JULFALAKYAN WINS GOLD AT INTERNATIONAL WRESTLING TOURNAMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 6, 2012 – 13:39 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian Greco-Roman wrestlers grabbed 4 medals at
Dan Koloff – Nikola Petrov International Wrestling Tournament ongoing
in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Aram Julfalakyan beat Hovhannes Varderesyan (both 66kg) to win a gold
medal in the final. Varderesyan respectively gained silver to come 2nd.

Both Arthur Lazarian (60kg) and Hrach Hovannisyan (84kg) secured
bronze medals, while Tigran Sahakyan (84 kg) finished 4th.

EXPERT: KOCHARIAN’S COMEBACK WILL SHAPE MULTIPOLAR POLITICAL SYSTEM

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 6, 2012 – 12:26 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia is in need of a multipolar political system
that would secure balance of power and parliamentarianism, Armenian
political scientist said.

Levon Shirinyan told a press conference that former President of
Armenia Robert Kocharian’s comeback will foster development of the
above-mentioned system.

The expert further attached importance to formation of a new political,
economic and ideological elite in the country as a result of free
elections.

HASMIK POGHOSYAN: ARMENIA SHOULD TAKE PART IN EUROVISION

Aysor.am
Monday,February 06

Regardless the results Armenia should take part in the song contest
“Eurovision-2012”, RA Culture Minister Gasmik Poghosyan said at the
press conference.

“To my opinion Armenia should take part in the “Eurovision” song
contest regardless the victory or defeat,” Mrs. Poghosyan stressed.

This year “Eurovision-2012” will be held in Azerbaijan, for that
reason Armenia’s participation in the contest has become an issue of
wide discussions.

ARMENIA’S RULING COALITION PARTNER “TORPEDOES” OTHER PARTNER’S LAW PROPOSAL

news.am
February 06, 2012 | 13:36

YEREVAN. – The ruling coalition’s Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP)
Parliamentary Faction did not take part in National Assembly (NA)
voting on the bill concerning limitations to financial operations, and
thus PAP “torpedoed” the passing of the bill.

In total, 41 MPs, including from PAP and the opposition Heritage
Party, did not participate in the voting, whereas the opposition’s ARF
Dashnaktsutyun Party’s MPs cast abstain votes.

This step taken by the coalition partner infuriated the Republican
Party of Armenia MPs, who stated that voting against this bill means
being in favor of corruption, whereas not taking part in its voting is
an altogether incomprehensible posture.

PAP MP Naira Zohrabyan, on the other hand, told news reporters that
PAP Faction expressed its position by not participating in the voting,
and that this should not be politicized.

27PC GROWTH IN IRANIAN ELECTRICITY EXPORT

IRNA
Feb 6, 2012
Tehran

Tehran, Feb 6, IRNA – Ministry of Energy reported on Monday that
Iran’s export of electricity has registered a 27 percent increase
during the first 11 months of the Iranian year.

According to the website of the Energy Ministry, Iran exported 7,349
gigawatt-hours of electricity during the said period this year,
up from 5,769 GWh last year.

Since the enforcement of subsidy plan, the consumption of electricity
has decreased in the country, preparing ground for export of
electricity to neighboring countries including Armenia, Pakistan,
Turkmenistan, Turkey, Iraq and Afghanistan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ETHNIC ENCLAVE: NEW RAILWAY BYPASSING ARMENIA WILL FREEZE ARMENIA’S “NORTHERN ROAD” PROSPECTS
By Aris Ghazinyan

ArmeniaNow
06.02.12 | 15:15

An official announcement has been made that
Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway connecting the Azeri coast of the
Caspian Sea with Turkey will be put into operation in October of 2013.

How will that affect Armenia?

First of all, the rehabilitation project of Gyumri (Armenia)-Kars
(Turkey) railroad, that could connect Baku with Ankara through Tbilisi
and Yerevan, will be frozen for a very long time.

Despite the fact that Azerbaijan and Armenia do not have railway
communication, Baku has a railway to Tbilisi and Tbilisi – to Yerevan.

It is this railroad stretching along the current Armenian-Turkish
border that has a station in Gyumri.

Putting into operation the new railroad would make Armenia’s possible
de-blocking even more problematic and unrealistic.

The other aspect of it is the fact that the construction of the
Samtskhe-Javakheti section of the railway will engage a great number
of Turkish and Meskhetian-Turkish workers. The problem is that this
Georgian region with a large Armenian population is Armenia’s only
exit to the outer world through “a Christian road”.

Either Turkish or Azeri settlements lie all along the perimeter of
Armenia’s and Nagorno Karabakh’s borders, be it Iran from the south,
Georgia from the north and, of course, Azerbaijan and Turkey from
the east and west of Armenian, respectively.

Hence, on the ethnographic map Armenia will find itself in an enclave,
which is potentially dangerous. Inflow of Turks and Meskhetian Turks
in Samtskhe-Javakheti is a matter of serious concerns for both the
Armenian population of the region and a number of political parties
and non-governmental organizations in Armenia.

Another “blow at Armenia” will be the illusory prospect of
establishing railway communication with Russia – Armenia’s main
strategic partner. The possible exploitation of the old railroad
Tbilisi-Gyumri-Yerevan envisaged restoring communication along the
Abkhazian section of the Trans-Caucasian Railway as well, which would
connect Yerevan with Russia.

However, with the new Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway, there
won’t be need for the “northern road”.

If viewed globally, Kars-Gyumri Tbilisi option would be more
preferable to Turkey. First of all, it would become a gesture of
goodwill towards Armenia that Turkey could show the international
community. And besides, it wouldn’t have to spend half a billion
dollars on building Kars-Akhalkalaki section.

But, Turkey has more important interests, one of which is laying a
safe and stable railway connection between Baku and Ankara (obviously
to Ankara it cannot be considered “safe and stable” if it passes
through Armenia). And, most importantly, Turkey wants to become the
main transit corridor between the European Union and Central Asia
with the Caspian Basin.

The coming year promises to be full of strong sentiments over this
issue both in Georgia and Armenia.

BRING THE GODDESS HOME: EDUCATION MINISTER LAUNCHES INITIATIVE ON RETURNING DIVINE ANAHIT TO ARMENIA
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan

ArmeniaNow
06.02.12 | 15:18

Minister of Science and Education Armen Ashotyan took the initiative
of returning the fragments of Armenian Pagan Goddess Anahit’s bronze
statue from United Kingdom (UK) to Armenia through the Facebook online
social network. A great number of Facebook users have welcomed the
initiative.

Enlarge Photo Minister of Science and Education Armen Ashotyan

“UK has appointed two ambassadors to Armenia. I suggest all of us
to unite and appeal to the British Embassy to Armenia sending them a
letter with our signatures and demand to return the fragments (head
and hands) of Goddess Anahit’s well-known statue, kept at British
Museum, to Armenia. There is an experience of returning cultural
values from UK to their homelands; particularly Egypt has succeeded
in this respect several times. What would you say?” Minister Ashotyan
addressed to his friends.

The head and hand of the bronze statue referred to Anahit, who was
goddess of fertility and war, according to the website of the British
Museum, was found in 1872 by a peasant accidently when he was digging
the land in Satagh, south-eastern Turkey.

“The head made its way via Constantinople (modern Istanbul) and
Italy to the dealer Alessandro Castellani, who eventually sold it to
The British Museum. The hand was presented to the Museum a few years
later. Despite rumors that the whole statue had previously been found,
the body has never come to light,” the website writes. A copy of the
statue is kept at the History Museum of Armenia in Yerevan.

Ashotyan also suggests jointly drafting a common text of the letter
addressed to the UK Secretary of Culture, the British ambassadors,
and the management of the British Museum, as well as starting a
signature collection at higher educational institutions of Armenia,
on Facebook and elsewhere. The minister also reports that a number
of students and NGOs have already turned to him, and it will better
for them to start the collection of signatures for returning the
fragments of Goddess Anahit’s statue to Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN UNIVERSITIES PAY 3.250 BILLION IN TAXES

hetq
14:51, February 6, 2012

Yerevan State University was the largest taxpayer of all 14 colleges
and universities in Armenia for 2011, paying a total of 790 million
AMD.

Coming in second, was the Mkhitar Heratsi State Medical University
(567.9 million). In third place was the Khachatur Abovyan State
Pedagogical University (434.4 million).

During the first half of the current fiscal year, all 14 institutions
paid 3.250 billion in taxes, according to the Ministry of Education
and Science.

RUBEN MATEVOSYAN: 50 YEARS ON STAGE
Alisa Gevorgyan

“Radiolur”
06.02.2012 15:26

Ruben Matevosyan is 70. A concert dedicated to the 70th birthday of the
People’s Artist and the 50th anniversary of his career will take place
at Aram Khachatryan Hall at the initiative of the Ministry of Culture.

Ruben Matevosyan has performed on all continents and has sung 900
songs during 50 years. “The song has been my first love,” the singer
confesses.

Ruben Matevosyan has been celebrating the jubilee from December 2011.

A reception in his honor was organized in Los Angeles, he has received
congratulatory messages from the US Congress, the Pasadena City Hall,
the US Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“I’m proud that my work is appreciated not only in Armenia, but also
abroad,” Ruben Matevosyan told a press conference today. He described
his tomorrow’s concert as a “report to the spectators.”

There are no favorite and non-favorite songs among the 900 Ruben
Matevosyan has recorded throughout his career. He says he has first
fallen in love with every song and then performed it.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBERS CONDEMN HRANT DINK CASE VERDICT

Panorama.am
06/02/2012

Members of European Parliament have declared they are disappointed
with a Turkish court verdict on Hrant Dink’s, editor-in-Chief of
“Agos” daily, murder case, Turkish “Sondakika.com” reported.

Ria Oomen-Ruijten, European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, said
in Brussels that Turkey had failed a favorable chance.

“It’s evident that Turkey’s judicial system definitely needs reforms.

European Parliament thinks that the situation is really shameful.”

English MP Andrew Duff said he knew Hrant Dink, who was a great man.

“I had a chance to meet him several times. It’s shameful after so many
years of the murder; the case hasn’t been completely investigated and
condemned. Advanced and liberal lawyers say the country’s judicial
system needs serious reforms. Ruling “Justice and development party”
is uncertain with it. They are committed to reforms but are not
committed to react quickly.”