Month: February 2012

ARMENIA TO GET NECESSARY ASSISTANCE AS CSTO FULL MEMBER – BORDYUZHA

news.am
February 21, 2012 | 13:55

YEREVAN.- Armenia is a full member of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), the head of organization Nikolay Bordyuzha said
during today’s Moscow-Astana-Minsk-Yerevan-Kiev- Chisinau space bridge.

Bordyuzha commented on CSTO’s position on the Karabakh conflict saying
the organization is not interfering but is monitoring the situation.

“There is an OSCE Minsk Group acting as a mediator in negotiations,”
he recalled underscoring Russia’s efforts into organization of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani summits.

According to him, the existing mechanisms are working and there is
no necessity for other organizations to interfere.

“There are mechanisms to resolve this complicated conflict,” he stated.

Asked about CSTO’s actions in case the conflicts in organization’s
area are escalated, Bordyuzha said everything depends on particular
situation. He recalled that the organization has not only military,
but also political and peacekeeping potential.

“Armenia will get the require assistance as full members of CSTO,”
he concluded.

JAGUAR’S LIFE COULD NOT BE SAVED DUE TO CHRONIC HEALTH PROBLEMS

Panorama.am
21/02/2012

Although the Jaguar of Yerevan Zoo was in the last months under very
attentive veterinary care it was not possible to save the animal’s
life. The Jaguar (Panthera onca) named Rostic has been one of the
elderly residents of the zoo, secretary of the Zoo Mane Madoyan
told Panorama.am.

In 2001 the animal moved from Rostov zoological garden into Yerevan
Zoo Predator Department under its head Yunona Khanzadyan. Since now
already four years Rostic suffered from serious health problems.

“Rostic had serious stomach problems, which get worse and lead to
the situation that the animal refused food for days,” says Khanzadyan.

Due to the chronic nature of the health problems the animal was also
examined last year by Mark Hoyer the Chief Veterinarian of Amsterdam
Zoo. Dr. Hoyer’s findings approved the chronic stomach problems and
the animal was treated accordingly.

“The treatment had a positive effect, but a week before the animal’s
condition again deteriorated,” says Harut Hovhannisyan, the Yerevan
Zoo veterinarian. “The death of the Jaguar was a result of the
serious and chronic nature of the animal’s health problems which
lasted already four years, in combination with the animal’s age. Both
factors prevented a successful cure,” says Harut Hovhannisyan.

A Jaguar’s average life expectancy is about 12-20 years. Rostik was
already 13 years old and additionally enfeebled by his chronic disease.

MINISTER NALBANDIAN TO VISIT KOREA, VIETNAM AND SINGAPORE

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 21, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward
Nalbandian will visit the Republic of Korea, Vietnam and Singapore
February 22-28.

MFA press office reported that the Minister will meet with the heads
of the mentioned states and discuss steps on development of bilateral
relations, international and regional issues.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAS BEEN TURNING A BLIND EYE TO REPRESSION IN AZERBAIJAN

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 21, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: Ahead of the 2012 Eurovision singing
competition in Baku, Amnesty International is urging host Azerbaijan
to address the unsavoury truth of its record on human rights and
release 16 prisoners of conscience held since April 2011 in the wake
of anti-government protests, Armenpress reports citing the document
of the organization.

“Azerbaijan will no doubt offer an opulent stage to voices from
across Europe, but outside the concert hall, few critical voices are
tolerated. Opposition protests have effectively been criminalised.

Peaceful protesters have been detained, while journalists and NGOs
have faced threats and harassment,” said John Dalhuisen, Europe and
Central Asia Deputy Programme Director.

Amnesty International’s briefing, Azerbaijan: No more running scared:
2012 EUROVISION host country Azerbaijan must allow all voices to
be heard , summarizes the organization’s human rights concerns in
the country.

“Corruption and forced evictions, torture and ill-treatment, unfair
trials and harassment – these all go unpunished, while restrictions
on freedom of expression tie the hands of civil society activists,”
John Dalhuisen said.

“For much too long the international community has been turning a blind
eye to repression in Azerbaijan. The 2012 EUROVISION song contest
should lift the glitzy curtains and expose human rights abuses to
millions of people,” the document of the Amnesty International runs.

ARMENIA SHOWED IT IS NOT AFRAID OF TURKEY

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 21, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: National issues are of great
significance for Armenia, director of Oriental Studies Institute,
Turkologist Ruben Safrastyan said at the round-table discussion on
“Contemporary Armenian-Turkish Relations and Perspectives for Coming
Five Years”. He said the goals of the protocols remained undone,
but Armenia showed its readiness to normalize relations with Turkey.

“Turkey uses factors not connected with the regulation of inter-state
ties. Turkey must step back from its policy it carries out for already
twenty years: it must not exert pressure on Armenia,” Safrastyan said.

In his opinion, Armenian diplomacy is on higher level and in respect
of Armenian-Turkish relations Armenians are ready for inter-state
relations without pre-conditions. Turkey must behave in the same way.

“We may register that nothing harmed us during the process in
connection with the Genocide issue. We showed that we are firm and
we are not afraid of Turkey. We are not speaking of good-neighborly
relations as there are deep issues between the two countries and
peoples. We are speaking of normal relations,” the Turkologist said.

From: A. Papazian

ICRC REPRESENTATIVES VISIT ARMENIAN PRISONERS OF WAR

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 21, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: On February 17, the representatives
of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited
three Armenian prisoners of war and five members of a family held in
custody in Azerbaijan, media contact person for the ICRC Delegation
to Azerbaijan Ilaha Huseynova told Azerbaijani news agency.

ICRC representatives delivered seven “Red Cross” letters to the
persons held in custody in Azerbaijan and received three “Red Cross”
letters from the Armenian family.

Currently there are three Armenian prisoners of war and five civilians
in Azerbaijan.

The civilians are the members of one family – Yegishe, Ruzanna, Alfred,
Gayane and Petros Gevorkian. They crossed the Azerbaijani borders in
January, 2010.

Two the captives – Ohan Arutunyan and Gevorg Tovmasyan passed into
Azerbaijani side in May, 2009, another one – Karen Arutunyan passed
into Azerbaijani side in July, 2009. All of three soldiers wish to
be sent to a third country.

An Azerbaijani serviceman is held captive in Armenia.

SERIOUS VIOLATIONS REGISTERED IN MEDICINE MARKET

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 21, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: Proceedings have been initiated
over 15 companies and 12 medical establishments. Chairman of the
Armenian State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition
Artak Shaboyan said at the sitting of the commission that the
registered violations accompanied with inefficient usage of budget
means seriously limited the competitive environment. “Not declaring
tenders, the medical establishments acquired the necessary medicine
with higher prices which was more obviously reflected when the latter
were interconnected with the supplying companies,” he noted.

Shaboyan said no tenders are being declared by medical establishments
in accordance with the legislation, and in some cases they are of
formal nature.

The studies showed that 109 out of 134 medical establishments have
not declared tenders. The 66 of them have not announced tenders at
all and 43 did it only in separate cases.

Violations have also been registered in acquiring of free or discounted
medicine for socially insecure groups of population.

Twenty-eight medical establishments which should have acquired medicine
for the mentioned group through a tender, did it from the organizations
they have preferred.

The commission studied 134 health institutions and 314 companies
selling medicine engaged in state purchasing sphere.

CSTO SUPPORTS MINSK GROUP FORMAT FOR KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 21, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: The CSTO is not going to interfere
into the talks over Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, Secretary
General of the organization Nikolay Bordyuzha said today at the
Yerevan-Moscow-Kiev-Astana-Kishinev-Minsk space bridge.

“We do not interfere into the negotiation process. We understand that
Armenia is our partner but there exist relevant mechanisms and there
is no necessity to create anything new,” Bordyuzha said.

In his opinion, the OSCE Minsk Group is the one to deal with the
solution of the Karabakh issue.

There are relevant mechanisms, in particular, there is OSCE Minsk
group, trilateral meetings of the presidents of Armenia, Russia and
Azerbaijan take place. “These are the mechanisms to be applied for
the settlement of this very complicated issue,” Bordyuzha said.

In response to the question what the CSTO will do in critical
situation, the secretary general said Armenia is full member of the
CSTO and has right to get assistance of its allies. “It is impossible
to forecast crises in the CSTO member states. Everything depends on
a concrete situation,” Bordyuzha said.

According to him, in critical situation the organization uses not
only collective operative response forces but its political and
peacekeeping potential as well. “I repeat, as a member of the CSTO,
Armenia will get all the necessary assistance,” Bordyuzha stressed.

From: A. Papazian

PUBLIC COUNCIL TO DISCUSS MASHTOTS PARK ISSUE

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 21, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: The issue of Mashtots Park will
be discussed in the Public Council of Armenia February 23, ecologist
Karine Danielyan told a news conference February 21. She said during
a few years Yerevan has turned into an ecological disaster zone and
the construction ongoing in the capital killed Yerevan.

“Mashtots Park’s issue is only a small element of a big problem. It
is a green territory near which is a hospital. I understand that the
mayor says it is a temporary solution, I believe him,” she said.

Ecologist Mary Khachatryan said the demand of activists is legal,
they want to have healthy environment.

“The City Hall has a right to temporary suspend the construction and
discuss the issue. The shops may be placed in underground passage in
the same territory,” Khachatryan said.

She offered to suspend the construction, withdraw the policemen from
the construction area and convene a public discussion in the City
hall to decide where to move the shops.

“We will fight for the park till the end, even in conditions of frost,”
the ecologist said.

Architect Levon Igityan said placing of shops in the territory of
the park is a temporary solution, no issue may be solved with anger.

February 20 in the evening the ecologists surrendered the territory to
policemen. They say the construction lasted all night long, ignoring
that there is a maternity house near it.

DEFENSE MINISTRY INVESTIGATING CASE OF SOLDIER WHO DIED OF PNEUMONIA

epress.am
02.21.2012

At around 9:50 am on Feb. 20, rank-and-file soldier Narek Martirosyan
died after being admitted to the intensive care unit at the Ministry
of Defense’s Central Hospital days earlier.

The soldier, who had been serving in one of the units in
Nagorno-Karabakh, was admitted to hospital on Feb. 16 and diagnosed
with pneumonia.

Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia is currently gathering
materials in connection with the case and a forensic examination has
been assigned, senior officer with the public relations division at
the RA Defense Ministry investigation service Meri Sargsyan informed
Epress.am.