Month: September 2013

TURKEY’S MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER AGAINST WAR WITH SYRIA

17:06 18.09.13

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal
Kilichdaroglu has again slammed the government’s desire to engage in
a military operation against Syria, calling for peace in the region,
Hurriyet Daukt b=Bews reporrted.

“We neither want war in our country, nor with our neighbors. We want
Muslims to stop killing Muslims,” Kilichdaroglu said late on Sept. 17
in the northwestern province of Balıkesir, where he was attending
a commemoration ceremony in the Bandırma district.

He also mentioned the words of the founder of the Turkish republic,
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, “War is a crime if it’s not obligatory,”
and urged the government to pursue non-military actions to stop the
violence in neighboring Syria.

“If there’s a problem in that country, let’s aid a resolution of that
problem. But we should not hand weapons to them, cross the borders
and send them there,” Kılıcdaroglu said.

The CHP head also criticized the government for “sending other people’s
kids to war.”

“Your child doesn’t serve in the military, but you attempt to wage war
on people’s children. If you will fight, send your own kids,” he said.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

TI CORRUPTION IN DEFENSE REPORT SILENT ON ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN

16:00 ~U 18.09.13

Armenia and Azerbaijan turn out to be the only countries in the South
Caucasus region not included in Transparency International’s 2013
Corruption in Defense report.

The index, published Tuesday, covers 82 countries which have been
classified into different groups (A, B, C, D (D+,D-)) depending on
the level of the legislative’s control over the military.

The authors of the document have found that the parliaments of most
countries do not manage to exercise a successful control over the
defense sector.

The findings suggest that 2/3 of the countries have failed to
ensure effective control mechanisms. The legislation in 70% of
weapon suppliers has been found to allow for loopholes contributing
to corruption.

Armenia’s northern neighbor, Georgia, is in Group D, together with
Russia and Turkey. Iran is in the highest group (E).

The lowest corruption risks have been observed in Germany and
Australia.

The full report can be accessed here

Armenian News – Tert.am

ARMENIA, RUSSIA STRATEGIC PARTNERS – DEFENSE MINISTER

15:59 18.09.13

At his meeting with teachers and students of Yerevan State University,
Armenia’s Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan addressed Armenia’s
decision to join the Customs Union.

He noted that Armenia and Russia are strategic partners, and “our
strategic ally is assisting us by supplying precision weapons.”

“Any strategic decision implies security problems. With the regional
conflicts, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, considered the
decision was made,” Ohanyan said.

“Some of the nations we are cooperating with think that we [Armenia]
are unwilling to cooperate with Azerbaijan,” he said.

As regards the withdrawal of snipers from the borderline, Minister
Ohanyan said: “We are ready to withdraw our snipers. We see it is
a normal step. On the other hand, we do not have any problems with
retaliation.”

“The year 2011 was the most successful for our armed forces. Last
year we preserved the result, and we have reduced incidents by 30%
this year,” the minister said. He pointed out the development of
air defense.

Asked about emigration from Armenia, Ohanyan said that it affects
Armenia’s army. “Emigration is a problem for all of us. And we want
the government-taken measures to produce results.”

Armenian News – Tert.am

AZERBAIJAN MAY TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF POSSIBLE STRIKE AGAINST IRAN BY USA TO USE FORCE TO RESOLVE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT, EXPERT SAYS

YEREVAN, September 18. / ARKA /. Azerbaijan may try to take advantage
of a possible strike against Iran by the USA and its allies to resolve
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by use of force, Andrei Yepifantsev,
head of Alte et Certe think tank, warned today.

He said Azerbaijani political analysts believe that Baku should join
the anti-Iranian coalition, which is argued to be a success, and in
return for it to get support in resolving the Karabakh conflict by
use of force or a support for creation of an independent state in
northern Iran with a large Turkic-speaking population.

“Under this scenario Armenia will be surrounded by Turkic states,
except Georgia in the north. That would be contingent to losing
Nagorno- Karabakh,” Yepifantsev said during Yerevan – Moscow – Tbilisi
videoconference on the topic “Greater Caucasus in the context of the
Syrian crisis.”

The expert said if this plan fails, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev
will face serious problems in terms of preserving his rule.

Stanislav Tarasov, the director of the Middle East -Caucasus research
center of the International Institute of the Newest States, argued
that the new government of Iran will make concessions to the so-called
group of six (five UN Security Council permanent members and Germany)
regarding its nuclear program issue.

The group of six in cooperation with the IAEA is seeking to
make Iran suspend its uranium enrichment program as it may pose
a threat to the nuclear non-proliferation. -0- – See more at:

TURKEY SET TO STEP UP ITS ANTI-ARMENIAN PROPAGANDA AS THE CENTENARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE NEARING, EXPERT SAYS

YEREVAN, September 18. / ARKA /. Turkey is set to step up its
anti-Armenian propaganda as the centenary of the Armenian genocide
to be marked in 2015 is nearing, Artak Shakaryan, an Armenian expert
in Turkic studies, said today.

He said because of Turkey’s indirect involvement in the Syrian crisis
and the Kurdish question the government in Ankara is not paying
enough attention currently to the anti-Armenian propaganda. “However,
there are special academic institutions and persons who are closely
involved in this. I think, on the eve of the centenary Ankara will
intensify its anti-Armenian propaganda,” he said.

According to him, as the date is nearing Turkey will also increase
pressure on Armenia regarding the Nagorno -Karabakh conflict.

The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the twentieth century.

Turkey has been denying it for decades. The Armenian genocide
was recognized by tens of countries. The first was Uruguay
that did so in 1965. Other nations are Russia, France, Italy,
Germany, Holland, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden,
Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela,
Argentina, 42 U.S. states. The Armenian Genocide was recognized
by the Vatican, the European Parliament, the World Council of
Churches and other international organizations. -0- – See more at:

ARMENIA NOT READY FOR ABOLITION OF TAXES FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES, HEAD OF NATIONAL CENTRE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SME SAYS

YEREVAN, September 18. / ARKA /. Armenia is not ready for abolition
of taxes for small and medium-sized enterprises, according to
Karen Gevorkyan, the deputy director of the National Centre for the
Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.

“Tax exemption is a much more complex issue than it may seem. Of
course, everybody realizes that such a move could provide a strong
incentive for the development of SMEs. However, it should be enforced
based on serious research and preparedness of the system for it,”
he said to journalists.

According to Gevorgyan, there are various estimates indicating that
the tax burden is not the only obstacle to the development of SMEs.

He said the easing of the tax burden for SMEs needs to be done
gradually and step by step as the experience shows that when it is
done abruptly it has no effect.

Gevorkyan said as a provisional solution the government introduced
turnover tax and patent fees, which significantly reduce the tax
burden and simplify taxation administration.

On January 1, 2013 the government introduced turnover tax for small
and medium-sized enterprises with an annual turnover of up to 58.35
million drams, replacing by it the previous profit and income taxes.

The amount of this tax ranges from 3.5 % of the annual
income, set for trade outlets to, 20% for notary
offices. ($ 1 – 409.61 drams). -0- – See more at:

INACCESSIBILITY OF LOANS HINDERS DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIAN SME

YEREVAN, September 18. / ARKA /. One of the biggest problems
hindering development of small and medium-sized businesses in Armenia
is inaccessibility of loans and the other big problem are gaps in
the tax administration system, according to Karen Gevorkyan, deputy
director of the National Centre for the Development of Small and
Medium-Sized Entrepreneurship.

He said the core activity of the National Centre for the Development
of Small and Medium-Sized Entrepreneurship is to help solve these
problems. According to him, the Center helps annually some 3000
beginners to get long-term and unsecured loans at affordable terms.

High interest rates on loans are also a problem, he added. ‘It is
desirable that banks provide a wider range of loan products,’ he said.

With regard to the tax legislation, Gevorgyan said the problems arising
from the legislation are not as important as the difficulties arising
in the course of tax administration, namely, the corruption.

Besides, he said development of SMEs is hindered by the fact that
many entrepreneurs are unaware of the changes in the tax law, of
their rights and responsibilities.

According to the National Union of Employers of Armenia, SME lending
in 2012 amounted to about $15 million, while in 2001-2002 the figure
stood at $30-$40 million, and at about $20 million in 2007-2008.

According to the ministry of economy, in 2007-2012 the
government released 98 billion drams for the promotion of
small and medium entrepreneurship. This year the government
has earmarked 778 million drams to that end. Also 6.6 billion
drams were to be provided for SME development by the Universal
Credit Organization. ($ 1 – 409.61 drams). -0- – See more at:

From: Baghdasarian

JORDAN KING URGES CHINA’S ROLE IN RESOLVING SYRIA CONFLICT

September 18, 2013 – 12:07 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Jordan’s King Abdullah called on China to play an
active role in resolving the conflict in Syria, saying Wednesday, Sept
18, that Beijing should use its influence as a permanent member of the
UN Security Council and as a “friend of Jordan and the Middle East.”

According to the Associated Press, Abdullah made his appeal in his
opening remarks at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during
a state visit to China. He also praised relations between the two
countries and emphasized a common commitment to promoting progress
on global issues of concern.

“It is in that spirit that I am here today to discuss with you as
a key member of the United Nations Security Council and a friend
of Jordan and the Middle East, ways and means of achieving peace,
stability, civility and prosperity in our region through an active
role in the (Israel-Palestine) peace process as well as that of the
Syrian conflict,” Abdullah said.

Reporters were ushered from the room following Abdullah’s remarks
and it wasn’t clear how Xi responded, the AP says.

However, in his own opening remarks, the Chinese president stressed
the friendship between the two countries and said he looked forward
to in-depth talks on “regional and international issues of mutual
interest.”

Beijing has called for a negotiated political settlement to the more
than two-year-old conflict in Syria. It has joined Russia in blocking
moves at the United Nations that could lead to the regime’s removal –
leading to criticism from the U.S. and others that the two countries
were prolonging a conflict that has left 100,000 people dead and more
than 2 million displaced.

Despite that, China has sought to play a bigger role in the Middle East
as part of efforts to stand among leading nations in helping shape
world events. Abdullah is just the latest in a string of Middle East
leaders to visit Beijing, and China has frequently dispatched diplomats
to the region to nurture ties with all parties, including Israel.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

I ADMIRE MKHITARYAN’S GAME – ITALIAN JOURNALIST

September 18, 2013

Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan can be set apart in Borussia,
Canalenapoli.itwrites.The Italian website reflected on the forthcoming
Champions League group match between Italy’s S.S.C. Napoli and
Germany’s Borussia Dortmund.

“Henrikh transferred to Borussia after a superb season at [Ukraine’s
FC] Shakhtar Donetsk, and together with the other newcomer,
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he is considered the most dangerous
player of the German club. The two players have perfectly adapted
to Borussia’s system of play,” the Italian website writes. “Armenian
national team midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan should be set aside in a
number of talented players of the German club. I truly admire him,”
Tuttonapoli.net quotes well-known Italian journalist Gianluca Vigliotti
as saying.

To note, the Napoli-Borussia Dortmund clash will take place on
Wednesday in Naples, Italy, and the official kick-off is at 10O~I45pm,
Armenia time.

NEWS.am Sport

RUSSIA ASSISTS US IN ACQUIRING MODERN MILITARY EQUIPMENT – ARMENIAN MOD

September 18, 2013 | 15:40

YEREVAN. – The security issue likewise is on the basis of Armenia’s
decision to join the Customs Union.

Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan noted the above-said Wednesday during
his talk with the students and faculty at Yerevan State University.

In his words, the decision to join the Customs Union was made by
considering the existing conflicts in the region, the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue, and the strategic relations with Russia.

“Our strategic partner assists us in acquiring modern military
equipment,” Ohanyan said.

He added that Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union will enable
to further deepen cooperation with Russia in the military sector, too.

To note, following the talks that were held on September 3 in Moscow
between Armenian and Russian Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir
Putin, Sargsyan had announced that Armenia plans to join the Customs
Union and subsequently engage in the formation of the Eurasian
Economic Union.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am