Month: February 2012

NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO ISSUE STATEMENTS ON BEHALF OF BRUSOV UNIVERSITY: STATEMENT

epress.am
02.22.2012

The Yerevan State Linguistic University named after Valery Brusov in
a statement issued today said it finds that expressing an opinion on
the protests in Mashtots Park is outside of its powers.

“Neither the university nor the self-governing body the Student Council
has the authority to disseminate statements on the aforementioned issue
in the university’s name. Lecturers and students at the university
can express only their own personal opinions,” reads the statement.

Recall, earlier, YSLU Student Council President Hasmik Apyan had
said that the issue is “not a worrying problem for the linguistic
university”. Then yesterday, a group of YSLU students paid a visit to
Mashtots Park and issued a statement in support of the environmental
and civic activists who have been protesting shop construction in
the park for the second week in a row.

The YSLU students criticized Apyan’s statement and said they launched
a petition at their university which was signed by both students
and faculty.

“This proves that the Student Council president abused her authority
and spoke on behalf of the entire university,” read the students’
statement.

“GRANT-EATER” VOVA

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 12:30:40 – 22/02/2012

Yesterday there was a press release informing that the U.S. Embassy
donated approximately $50,000 of classroom computer equipment to
the Police. In fact, the Armenian Police and Armed Forces receive
millions of grants from the U.S. and the European Union to reequip and
modernize these structures regularly to comply with the international
standards. Note that this money is a present.

In this regard, the press and social networks are buzzing whether
the Police is a grant-eater.

Vladimir Gasparyan used to work as Deputy Defense Minister. Now he
holds the office of the Chief of Police of Armenia. He has repeatedly
delivered ardent speeches against the representatives of the civil
society who protest against unlawfulness, violence in the army calling
them “homeless” grant-eaters and so on. It turns out that on the
one hand the high-ranking government officials, in the face of Vova
Gasparyan, would not mind receiving grants, on the other hand, they
do not want to hear about the plight in the abovmentioned structures
and demands by the society fearing the “evil eye” to the money of
Americans and Europeans.

FATHER AND SON MARGARYAN’S MISTAKE
Hayk Aramyan

Lragir.am News:

Published: 12:21:07 – 22/02/2012

It is truly said that the “sly fox is caught into a trap by four
legs at once”. The infinite wagging in the labyrinth always leads to
a deadlock where the trap is placed. It is worse when such a trap
is placed on the way of escape from responsibility: it is easy to
fall into it “at higher speeds” and firmly. The Yerevan Mayor Taron
Margaryan appeared in such a situation who is trying to cheat on
the young Yerevan residents demanding to stop the destruction of the
Mashtots Park in downtown Yerevan.

How strong a person should believe in cunning to put on a pedestal the
“sacred right of immunity of private property” when in a confrontation
with the authorities and protesting youth? Apparently, the activists
annoyed the Mayor too much with their demands not only to give up
infringement of the “public property” but also to announce “it is
our park”. The local oligarchy may tolerate everything except for
such a pretension.

So, it is clear why in the fuss about the park and stores, the
authorities of the country saw only the threat to private property.

Correspondingly, the Mayor’s threatening voice was heard “Don’t touch
the private property!” So, it is difficult to interpret Taron’s lecture
that “development is impossible without an effective protection of the
private property. The property fulfills an important public function
forming material ground for any activities”.

Taron had better find another argumentation for the protection of
property of his friends Chorni Gago and Xuchuch Edo. This way, he just
“added fuel” to the dispute over the property between the oligarchs and
the society. Apparently, the acting young Mayor forgot that his father
(the late Premier Andranik Margaryan) usurped the houses and areas of
residents of Yerevan center under the name of the protection of “high
public interests” giving them to the oligarchs for the construction of
elite buildings. Then, this lawlessness was concealed under a different
formulation on the property values and other lectures were heard.

Taron should have not forgotten about this. It is immoral to deprive
citizens of the property (public or private) and hand it to “their
people”. It is more immoral to do it under the flag of lectures. The
society will sooner or later remind it. The Mayor has created
preconditions for thousands of people to turn to him with the demand
to return the property which his father seized. And if they do this,
adhering to the movement of protection of property in the Mashtots
Park, we can say that the time came.

Anyway, the protest movement of the youth in the Mashtots Park
acquires significant meaning. Apparently, realizing such threat, the
authorities first decided to root up the pretensions of the youth of
the capital, putting the police against them. But the authorities had
better understand that only the legitimate property can be protected
and only if the respect towards property is universal.

From: Baghdasarian

LET BAKO HAVE NO COMPETITORS
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 13:29:01 – 22/02/2012

The next presidential elections in Karabakh are scheduled in summer.

For the time being, only the ex-mayor of Stepanakert, Eduard Aghabekyan
has spelled out his intention to run for president who positions
himself as moderate opposition. The acting president Bako Sahakyan has
not made any statement, but most likely, will run for the second term.

Bako Sahakyan’s main political trend during these years has been the
creation of homogeneous political field, marshy public opinion and
lack of alternative in everything. Any attempt to issue a different
opinion was qualified as high treason and a try to split the Karabakh
society through the “dark forces”.

In the result of this policy, in May 2010, unprecedented and undisputed
elections were held in Karabakh in which the opposition forces could
not run. This was the reason why Freedom House ranked Karabakh as a
non-free country it has always been ranked as partly free.

On the eve of the presidential elections, judging by the present
tendencies, the zombie policy will be carried on. Evidence to this
was the statement of the spokesman for the president of Karabakh,
David Babayan, who connected the criticism against Bako Sahakyan with
“the machinations of the enemies”. In regard to criticism for Bako
Sahakyan’s statement about readiness for concessions, David Babayan
somehow said that it is related to the upcoming presidential and
parliamentary elections in Karabakh and Armenia.

“Certain so-called political scientists exaggerate the allegations that
the president of Nagorno Karabakh spoke about possible unilateral
concessions to Azerbaijan before the decision of the Karabakh’s
status. This is a lie which pursues a number of political goals,”
Babayan said.

Noting that thanks to Bako Sahakyan, expressions like “return of
territories”, “buffer zone”, “territories controlled by Armenia” were
forgotten and now these territories are perceived as an inseparable
part of NKR, Babayan said that the critics are trying to get personal
“political gains through blackening their political opponents”. “They
are trying to harm the rating of the president of Artsakh, as
well as use Karabakh to influence the political field of Armenia,”
Babayan said.

Afterwards, it remains only to wish uncontested elections to Bako
Sahakyan. Let him have no competitors, let no one risk thinking that
Bako Sahakyan can be wrong, let no one think, as doctors in Karabakh
say, that thinking is bad for health.

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJANI TRACE IN GERMAN MPS’ INTENTION TO ISSUE ANTI-ARMENIAN STATEMENT – HERITAGE

news.am
February 22, 2012 | 13:22

YEREVAN.- An intention of the German Bundestag’s (Parliament)
largest faction to issue a statement ignoring Armenia’s position on
the Karabakh conflict has Azerbaijani trace, said Armenian MP.

Head of Hertiage parliamentary group Stepan Safaryan said the statement
drafted by the CDU/CSU group is not only directed against Armenia
but also distorts the essence of the Karabakh issue.

“Armenian parliament’s groups are discussing a letter to CDU/CSU
group which will be an answer to distortion of the essence of the
Karabakh problem. I think the letter will be signed by the heads of
the parliamentary groups in two hours and agreed on during the meeting
with Speaker Samvel Nikoyan,” Safaryan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

As to the idea of the statement, Safaryan believes the Azerbaijani
lobby played its role in the process.

“On the other hand, the statement can be regarded as a consequence
of the Madrid Principles. Unless we solve our main problems – reject
the Madrid Principles falsifying the essence of the Karabakh issue –
such statements can be issued not only in Germany but other states
as well,” he concluded.

According to press reports, CDU/CSU group is preparing to issue a
statement on the Karabakh issue ignoring the position of the Armenian
side. Specifically, Karabakh and the adjacent areas are defined as
occupied, and there is a call made upon the Armenian side to return
those territories.

GYUMRI MAYOR IN BRAZIL TO ATTEND RIO CARNIVAL – PAPER

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 22, 2012 – 11:13 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Mayor of Armenian northern city of Gyumri, Vardan
Ghukasyan left for Brazil 5 days ago with a 9-member delegation,
Aravot paper reports.

According to the paper, this caused discussions in a Facebook group,
with users inquiring about the members of the delegation and the
funding of this expensive trip.

One of the group members addresses journalists asking whether any
of them can find out answers to his questions, namely, whether the
delegation comprises at least one dancer, or they will be disgraced
at the carnival; further, what the trip cost, and what could be done
in Gyumri with the money spent on this. Another user mocked saying
that Gyumri mayor will settle the issues of Rio first and then come
back to clean their streets from ice.

SOCIOLOGIST FORECASTS PARTIES’ RATING AHEAD OF POLLS

Tert.am
22.02.12

The ruling coalition parties – the Republican and Prosperous Armenia
– will be major players ahead of the May parliamentary election,
according to a sociologist.

At a news conference on Thursday, Aharon Adibekyan, the director of
the independent sociological center Sociometer, unveiled the results
of their recent survey, noting that the political parties’ rating
may change before the polls.

The expert said the survey was based on a special methodology which
revealed 17.9% and 17% ratings for the ruling parties. As for the
opposition forces – the Armenian National Congress (ANC) and the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) – he said
their ratings were be 4% and 2.7%, respectively.

“Prosperous Armenia will rank as the second party, but never the
third. The ANC is in more modest positions at the moment but we never
know; their coming rally may increase their reputation,” he said,
pointing out to a 1%-2% likelihood of errors.

EU, JUSTICE MINISTRY TO ESTABLISH ARBITRATION INSTITUTE IN ARMENIA

Tert.am
22.02.12

The European Union, in collaboration with Armenia’s Ministry of
Justice has developed a new project aimed at creating an arbitration
institution in Armenia.

The plan was introduced on Thursday at a joint conference between EU
representatives and the Ministry officials.

Addressing the meeting, Fotis Karayanpulous, an EU representative,
said they did not initially want to open a new institution in a
developing country like Armenia but decided to launch the project
having no other alternative.

Karayanpulous noted that Armenia’s only arbitration institute
subordinated to the Chamber of Trade did not want to collaborate with
them, considering it needless.

Armenia’s arbitration institute is expected to be a united body
establishing a platform for all institutions dealing with arbitration
proceedings. It has to resolve institutional issues, ensuring a state
involvement on behalf of the Justice Ministry.

Arpine Melikbekyan, a member of a working group implementing the
project, said the state may vest independence in the arbitration
institute in the years to come.

“Armenia has a lack of arbitrators. That is why we are planning
trainings for specialists in Armenia and abroad. The arbitrators will
not take complicated exams at the beginning,” she said.

The institution will be a permanently functioning non-commercial body
governing the board of representatives of a superior institution having
7-11 members from both the public and private sectors. It will derive
funds from membership fees and contributions from founding investors
and the state.

SHAHEN KHACHATRYAN TO DELIVER LECTURE ON “REFLECTION ON GENOCIDE IN ARMENIAN PAINTING”

Noyan Tapan
2012-02-22

On February 23 at 6 p.m. Distinguished Artist of the Republic of
Armenia, art critic Shahen Khachatryan will deliver a lecture with
photos on “Reflection on the Genocide in Armenian Painting” at the
Glendale Public Library. The event is organized by the Armenian
Writers Association of California and Stephanie’s Art Gallery.

Shahen Khachatryan graduated from the Art Academy of Petersburg
as an art critic. In Yerevan, he was Director of the newly created
Martiros Saryan Museum, and was appointed Director of the National
Gallery of Armenia in 1990. In addition to his dozens of works, he
has collected works of art and has been able to procure 400 paintings
for the Museum of Yerevan, as well as 9 works by Ayvazovsky, 70 works
by M. Saryan and dozens of other paintings. Shahen Khachatryan has
presented several articles and has delivered many speeches on the
history of Armenian art. His monograph about Ayvazovsky has received
the first degree medal in Moscow.

His volume “Color of the Sea” is dedicated to the 95th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide in which he presents the Armenian painters
that have created paintings devoted to the Armenian Genocide. Armenian
painters of four generations are included in the volume that starts
from the massacres of 1895.

During his lecture, Khachatryan will present newly discovered paintings
with commentaries.

The event will feature performances by reed pipe player Salbi and
lyre player Sosi of the “Yerknayin Tagher” Ensemble.

ARTHUR ABRAHAM TO FIGHT WITH EX CHAMPION

Tert.am
22.02.12

The Germany based professional Armenian boxing champion Arthur Abraham
is returning to the ring on March 31 to fight at the Sparkassen-Arena
in the town of Kiel.

The IBF Middleweight will face Poland’s Piotr Wilczewski, a former
EBU champion, his spokesperson has said.

Abraham says his fighting spirit is high as he is preparing himself
to celebrate yet another victory.

On January 14, the sportsman won the European Champion’s title after
knocking out Argentina’s Pablo Oscar Natalio Farias at the Baden-Arena
in Offenburg, Germany.