Month: September 2013

DECISION TO JOIN CUSTOMS UNION “THREATENS ARMENIA’S INDEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM” – OPPOSITION LEADER

September 17, 2013 | 12:42

YEREVAN. – A sole decision on joining the Customs Union without
clarifying Karabakh’s future is unacceptable, Armenian opposition
leader said.

Raffi Hovannisian, who was the main rival of Serzh Sargsyan during the
presidential race, said the Armenian authorities usurped power which
affects internal policy and will lead to disastrous consequences in
foreign policy.

Talking during the press conference on Tuesday, Hovannisian assured
reporters that most Armenians share his position.

“This summer I visited two regions where I held meetings with local
residents who offered to expel the current authorities, while some
people even offered to exterminate them,” he told reporters.

Hovannisian believes Armenia’s “independence and freedom is
threatened”, therefore it is necessary to find the way out of this
situation.

The decision to join Customs Union was announced by Armenian president
on September 3.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

PURSUANT TO EU ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT, ARMENIA HAD TO FOREGO USING “COGNAC” WORD WITHIN 10 YEARS

September 17, 2013 | 12:26

YEREVAN. – Pursuant to the draft of the EU Association Agreement,
Armenia was obligated not to sell drinks under the name “cognac”
in the domestic market, ten years later.

Armenian Wine Makers’ Union President Avag Harutyunyan stated the
aforementioned during a press conference on Tuesday.

As for the use of the word “cognac” in Russia, according to
Harutyunyan, this depends on Russian-French relations.

“If we [i.e., Armenia] are not in the Customs Union, no one will need
our cognac [i.e., brandy]. But one day they, too, might prohibit the
use of the word ‘cognac,'” he added.

But unlike Armenian cognac, whose 90 percent is consumed in the
Customs Union, the Armenian wine has other problems. One-third of
the Armenian wine is exported to Europe, whereas solely one million
bottles are sent to Russia.

“If we raise the quality of the wine, we can export three to four
million bottles to Europe,” Avag Harutyunyan maintained.

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

ANCA-ER TO HONOR LONGTIME ACTIVIST ZOHRAB TAZIAN

September 17, 2013 – 10:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern
Region (ANCA-ER) will be honoring longtime Hai Tahd (Armenian Cause)
activist Zohrab Tazian at the 7th Annual ANCA Eastern Region Banquet
on Saturday, Oct 12, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Philadelphia.

“I’m humbled to receive the Vahan Cardashian Award at this year’s
ANCA-ER banquet. It’s an honor to be recognized,” stated Tazian upon
learning he will be presented with the award.

The Vahan Cardashian Award is given annually to an ANCA supporter who
demonstrates longstanding dedication and active involvement in the
Armenian-American community and its issues. The award is named for
Yale-educated lawyer Vahan Cardashian, who set aside his successful
New York practice to dedicate himself to the establishment of the
Armenian Committee for the Independence of Armenia (ACIA), predecessor
organization to the Armenian National Committee, and to advocate for
the plight of the Armenian nation.

“We’re honored to present Zohrab Tazian the Cardashian Award for
his longstanding track record of fighting for the Armenian people
on all issues related to Hai Tahd,” said ANCA Eastern Region Board
chairperson Nora Kzirian.

Born in 1931 in Armenian village Kheder Beg (now Turkey), Tazian and
his family were forced from their homeland and relocated to a refugee
camp in Lebanon during World War II.

In 1957, Tazian came to the U.S. to attend Indiana Technical College
to pursue an engineering degree. He went on to start a successful
civil engineering and land surveying business, Z.K. Tazian Associates,
Inc. Tazian has designed the All Saints Armenian Church in Glenview,
Illinois, St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church in Granite City,
Illinois, and St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Tazian has been very active in politics for more than 40 years and
has used his political connections to promote Armenian causes. He
served on Vice President Dan Quayle’s finance committee during his
first run for Congress in 1976. In 1984, he was an Indiana delegate
to the Republican National Convention in Dallas, where he introduced
his friend Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian to politics by offering him his
seat at the convention for a session.

He also served as finance committee chairperson for Indiana Congressman
Mark Souder during all of his 16 years in Congress.

ARMENIAN WINE IS ON EUROPEAN MARKET BY 35%

This year was special because the harvest of grapes was high
quality, the president of the Association of Armenian Winemakers Avag
Harutiunyan told journalists today. He says before last year farmers
begged them to buy their harvest, next year we will start begging
farmers to produce grapes. According to him, there is a U-turn in
the Armenian market.

The president of the Union said ten companies have already bought
10,000 tons. On September 20 everyone will start to buy. This year
160,000 tons of grapes will be harvested which will be bought and
processed by 45 entities. The price per kg of grapes costs 145 drams
minimum, the price is set by Yerevan Brandy Company. Red grapes will
cost at least 170 drams per kg except for the grapes of Vayots Dzor
where one kg of Arenee grapes costs over 200 drams per kg. According
to Avag Harutiunyan, the tendency will continue.

In answer to the question whether membership to the Customs Union
will boost or harm winemaking, Avag Harutiunyan said there is no
official stance on this issue but brandy and wine should be considered
separately because 90% of grapes is used for brandy and 90% of brandy
is exported to the countries of the Customs Union, so there will not
be a major change. Earlier 500 sorts of grapes were grown in Armenia,
now 180 sorts are left but there is no official statistics.

Avag Harutiunyan disagrees that we have difficulty placing Armenian
wine in the European market but will not take one hundred years
because Armenian wine is already on the European market by 35%.

14:39 17/09/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

DINK MURDER TRIAL RESTARTS AMID FAMILY’S PROTEST, COURT RULES FOR ARREST OF KEY SUSPECT

14:52 17.09.2013

Hrant Dink

The trial into the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink
restarted in Istanbul today following an overturn of the first
verdict as the victim’s family protested the trial, the Hurriyet
Daily News reports.

“As the Dink family, we will no more be tools to the state mechanisms
that have been mocking us and we will not attend the hearings of the
retrial,” the Dink family said in a letter ahead of today’s hearing.

“The crime coalition that is called the sate recommitted the murder
in every hearing, every day while it showed itself as if seeking for
justice. That coalition is the crime gang itself that planned the
murder and then covered it up,” the family’s letter read.

In today’s hearing, the court issued an arrest warrant for Erhan
Tuncel, a former police informant and suspect in the murder case who
was released after the first verdict.

Tuncel is seen as a key in linking the murder to the state institutions
as members of the Police Department in the Black Sea province of
Trabzon, the suspects’ hometown, have been accused of failing to relay
intelligence provided by Tuncel to the Trabzon Gendarmerie Command
in a report prepared by Turkey’s State Supervisory Council (DDK).

Dink, the renowned editor-in-chief of Agos, was shot in front of his
office in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007.

The triggerman, Ogun Samast, 17-years-old at the time of the murder,
and Yasin Hayal, who was charged of being the instigator of the
assassination, were convicted of the murder. However, a high criminal
court dismissed charges related to “armed terrorist organization.” The
Supreme Court of Appeals verdict defined the acts of all suspects in
the case under “an organization formed to commit crime” according to
Turkish Penal Code Article 220.

From: A. Papazian

FRENCH TV COMPANY DEDICATES REPORTAGE TO HENRIKH MKHITARYAN

14:59, 17 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. A French TV company made a program
dedicated to the midfielder of the Armenian National Football Team
and Borussia Dortmund Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

As reports “Armenpress” the aforesaid reportage was broadcasted
by Canal+ TV Company within the framework of L’equipe du dimanche
project. In the reportage the Head Coach of Borussia Dortmund Jurgen
Klopp, Pier Aubameyang, and other “Borussia” football players express
their opinion about the Armenian footballer.

This is not the first program the French TV companies dedicate to
Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was born 21 January 1989. He is an Armenian football
player who currently plays as a midfielder for German Bundesliga club
Borussia Dortmund and theArmenian national team.

Mkhitaryan has participated in 39 international matches and scored
11 goals for the Armenian national team since his debut on 14 January
2007. His previous clubs include Pyunik Yerevan, where he came through
the youth system, Metalurh Donetsk, and Shakhtar Donetsk. Mkhitaryan
was chosenArmenian Footballer of the Year in 2009, 2011 and 2012. In
2012 he was voted as the best Shakhtar player of 2011-12 season by
the fans, and Ukraine Premier League MVP.

In 2012, Mkhitaryan was named in UEFA’s Top 100 players by UEFA
European Football Yearbook 2012-13. Mkhitaryan was voted the CIS
Footballer of the Year for 2012, making him the first Armenian
footballer to be named the best player from post-Soviet countries.

On 8 July, Borussia Dortmund announced that it was set to sign a
four-year deal with Mkhitaryan for ~@25 (£21.5) million. Shakhtar
and Borussia officially “resolved all the necessary formalities”
and agreed on [email protected] (£23.6) million, making him the most expensive
purchase in the club’s history.

On his debut in a pre-season friendly against FC Basel on 10 July 2013,
Mkhitaryan set up a goal for Marco Reus in the 11th minute and scored
his first goal for the club 16 minutes later, helping his side to a
3-1 victory away at St. Jakob-Park. Mkhitaryan couldn’t take part at
the 2013 DFL-Supercup which his club won due to an injury he received
on a friendly game before that.

CU AND KARABAKH: ARMENIA’S INTEGRATION WITH RUSSIA-LED BLOC SIGNIFIES NEW STAGE IN CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

KARABAKH | 17.09.13 | 09:59

Photo:

By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent

The subject of Nagorno-Karabakh has become more topical in the light
of the consent of the president of Armenia to join the Russia-led
Customs Union (CU). The decision announced on September 3 gave
rise to assertions that a new stage will come in the settlement and
that competition between the West and Russia around this issue will
become stiffer.

The new U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick,
who visited the region last week, said that a new ‘realistic
path’ should be found to solve the conflict. He suggests advancing
confidence-building measures and contacts that, apparently, will not so
much help resolve as ‘freeze’ the conflict and preserve the status quo.

Neither Armenian nor Russian officials have said a word about how
Karabakh will be related to the Customs Union. Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian only noted that Karabakh will not suffer.

Many officials, however, argue that there are no clear agreements on
this point.

But at the expert level, there are opinions that depending on the
wishes of Armenia and Azerbaijan to integrate into the Eurasian
community, Russia may take active steps on Karabakh. This may be even
the recognition of Karabakh as revenge on Azerbaijan, or a ‘little war’
with the division of Karabakh – if Armenia behaves badly.

Azerbaijani expert Rauf Mirkadyrov generally believes that Russia
could simply recognize Karabakh as its integral part. Moreover,
in a few weeks the 200th anniversary of the Treaty of Gulistan will
be marked and under that treaty the Karabakh part of Armenia from
Persian control passed to Russian one.

But Europe is likely to have decided to establish closer ties and
direct relationship with Karabakh. In the past several days Stepanakert
was visited by members of the Danish and German parliaments, as well
as representatives of well-known European brands, who announced plans
for establishing garment factories in Karabakh.

In addition, in the light of Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union
European officials said that it is time Europe strengthened its role
in the negotiations on the Karabakh settlement.

On October 2, when Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is to speak at
the PACE session in Strasbourg in connection with the completion of
Armenia’s chairmanship of the Council of Europe, issues connected
with the Karabakh settlement are likely to be in the focus as well.

In Karabakh itself officials seem to be a little indifferent to these
processes. Press secretary of Karabakh’s president David Babayan,
for example, ‘diplomatically’ said that Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
should have good relations with all countries where there is Armenian
Diaspora.

And Karabakh Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan, talking to media, said
that Karabakh should not be mixed in the Armenian-Russian relations.

He warned: if we talk a lot about Karabakh, we could spoil what we
have there by default.

What could Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union give to Karabakh?

In an interview with Deutsche Welle political scientist and former
adviser to the U.S. president on national security affairs Zbigniew
Brzezinski, answering the question about how much politics there is
hidden behind the creation of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus
and Kazakhstan, said that in fact there is even nothing hidden there.

According to him, it is quite obvious that the essence of the union
is to try to subdue one independent post-Soviet country after another.

ARMENIAN CATHEDRAL IN MOSCOW CONSECRATED

16:03 17.09.2013

Armenian Church, Moscow

President Serzh Sargsyan and Mrs. Rita Sargsyan who are visiting the
Russian Federation today participated at the ceremony of consecration
of the Armenian Cathedral in Moscow and opening of the Church compound,
President’s Press Office reported.

The ceremony of consecration of the Cathedral was conducted by His
Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II. The ceremony was
attended by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill who gave
his blessings, the President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako
Sahakian, state and public figures of the Russian Federation, heads of
the major Armenian Apostolic Church dioceses from Armenia and abroad,
representatives and benefactors.

The construction of the Church compound, which is located in the
center of Moscow and built in accordance with the Armenian national
architectural traditions, was commenced back in 2006. It comprises the
Cathedral, the Holy Cross Church, the diocese office, educational,
cultural, administrative and hostel units, reception and festivity
halls and a museum. The compound is built with light apricot colored
tuff while the Cathedral is built with rose tuff brought from Á stone
quarry situated in the vicinity of the Armenian capital Ani and is
decorated with crosses, bas-reliefs and the Armenian alphabet.

The compound through its appearance and bas-reliefs relates to
the citizens of Moscow and guests of the Russian capital about the
Armenian people, presents momentous pages of our history – invention
of the alphabet, adoption of Christianity, our struggle for faith
and motherland, the Golden Age, etc. The ornaments and bas-reliefs
are harmoniously connected with the scattered over the territory
of the compound numerous cross-stones – symbols of the Armenian
sculptural art.

After the official ceremony of the consecration of the Cathedral,
President Serzh Sargsyan along with the organizers, benefactors and
guests watched at the reception hall of the administrative building
of the Church “The Armenians in Moscow: Historical Road” exhibition,
which was organized by the Russia and Nor Nachijevan Diocese of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, National Archives of Armenia, RF Federal
Agency of Archives, the General Department of Moscow Archives, and
State Central Archives of Moscow.

The opulent exhibition presents the almost five-century long history
of the Armenian community of Moscow starting from the end of the
XIV century up to the beginning of the XX century. The exhibition is
called upon to enhance the understanding of the role of the Church
and community in the life of the Armenian nation and the processes
of mutual enrichment of the Armenian and Russian cultures.

The President of Armenia visited also the educational and cultural
units, as well as the Church hostel. Later, in the courtyard of the
Church he was present at the unveiling ceremony of the Love and
Brotherhood memorial fountain dedicated to the friendship of the
Armenian and Russian peoples.

KARABAKH PRESIDENT ATTENDS CEREMONY OF OPENING A NEWLY-BUILT CATHEDRAL IN MOSCOW

16:02, 17 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. On 17 September Artsakh Republic
President Bako Sahakyan together with President Serzh Sargsyan of
Armenia took part in a solemn ceremony of opening a newly-built
St. Transfiguration cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church
in Moscow.

The Central Information Department of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
President’s Office informed “Armenpress” that Bako Sahakyan considered
important the existence of such a religious complex in the capital
of Russia for spiritual up-bringing, maintaining national identity,
and providing national education, adding that it also symbolized the
unity of our people and unshakable ties with the historical homeland.

Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Garegin II, Patriarch Kirill
of Moscow and All Russia, officials from Armenian, Artsakh and Russia,
hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church and numerous representatives
of the Russian-Armenian community took part in the event.

The magnificent Diocesan Cathedral Complex of the Armenian Diocese
of New Nakhijevan and Russia is situated at the crossroads of Olympic
and Trifonova streets, and covers 1.32 acres of space and includes the
Diocesan Cathedral, the Holy Cross Church; the Diocesan headquarters
building, and additional educational-cultural and administrative
buildings. It also houses a treasury house and events auditorium.

The building project of the Diocesan Cathedral and complex, which
stands at a height of 50 meters, started in 2004 and the construction
process began in 2006 through the sponsorship of faithful Armenians
in Russia. The architect of the building is Artak Ghulyan and the
chief builder is Hovhannes Meyroyan.

Engraved on the tetra- altared dome of the Cathedral are crosses
devoted to the remembrance of the 72 Disciples of Christ. The Cathedral
and the whole church complex give the visitors an idea of Armenian
architecture with its angles, various ornaments and crosses, and the
bas-reliefs adorning the Cathedral presenting different instances
of the history of the Armenian people such as the invention of
the alphabet, adoption of Christianity, the struggle for the faith
and Homeland, etc. The upper portion of the Cathedral entrance is
adorned with a relief sculpture of Jesus Christ, on the left and right
sides the major sanctities of the Armenian Church are illustrated:
the Holy Lance; and the symbol of the Pontifical throne, the Right
of St. Gregory the Illuminator. The interior of the Cathedral is
embellished with unique frescoes depicting the saints of the Bible
and the Armenian Church.

Inside the two open altar alcoves of the Holy Cross Church are the
inscribed memorials devoted to Armenian writing and faith. Within
the grounds of the complex there is also a plaque commemorating the
friendly relations between the Armenian and Russian people.

CHARLES AZNAVOUR MEETS WITH ARMENIANS OF ALMATY

17:04 17.09.2013

Charles Aznavour

Armenian Ambassador to Switzerland and Armenia’s Permanent
Representative in the UN Geneva Office, National Hero of Armenia
Charles Aznavour met with representatives of the Armenian community
of Almaty at the “Luys” CulturalCenter.

Aznavour was a guest of honor at the Eurasian Music Award and the
Eurasian International Film Festival.

The meeting was organized by the Armenian Embassy in Kazakhstan.

Armenia’s newly appointed Ambassador Ara Sahakyan, Primate of the St.

Karapet Armenian Church of Almaty, Rev. Sargsyan, President of the
“Nairi” Union of Armenians of Kazakhstan Artush Karapetyan and others
spoke at the meeting.

Charles Aznavour showed interest in the history of Kazakh Armenians
and issues of preserving the national identity.

Aznavour presented the steps he takes to contribute to the settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh issue and the social-economic development
of Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian