Month: September 2013

EU INTEGRATION MAY SLOW DOWN BUT WILL GO STRAIGHT FORWARD

The leader of the National Democratic Union and chairman of the Public
Council Vazgen Sargsyan commented on Serzh Sargsyan’s decision to
join the Customs Union.

Since the first day of independence Armenia has changed 3 president,
5-6 parliamenta, 6-7 prime ministers and nevertheless pursued the
same foreign policy with its main priorities – strategic partnership
and links with Russia not only in the economic but also defense and
security spheres.

However, according to Manukyan, Armenia walked step by step towards
the EU, borrowing European values, bringing the European reforms into
our country and achieved big results (this is also Europe’s opinion)
unlike other post-Soviet states.

Manukyan notes that Armenia is linked to NATO, has taken part in NATO
exercises, and this never caused a controversy.

12:23 07/09/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

L’ARMENIE ANNONCE UNE RECRUDESCENCE DE SES ACQUISITIONS D’ARMEMENT

ARMENIE

L’Armenie a annonce une augmentation spectaculaire de ses acquisitions
d’armes au cours des dernières annees, en disant qu’ils visent a
compenser la poursuite du rearmement militaire massif de l’Azerbaïdjan.

” Au cours des trois dernières annees, nous avons acquis autant
d’armes que nous l’avions fait au cours des 20 annees precedentes
” a declare le Premier ministre Tigran Sarkissian lors d’une visite
dans une unite de l’armee dans le Haut-Karabagh.

” En ce sens, soyez assure que nous ne permettrons jamais que
l’equilibre militaire soit perturbe. Nous allons maintenir cet
equilibre ” a-t-il declare aux soldats selon le site Web du
gouvernement armenien.

Tigran Sarkissian a donne peu de details sur ces acquisitions. Il a
dit que, dans une reference apparente a la Russie, des ” partenaires
strategiques ” aident l’Armenie a rester dans la course aux armements
avec l’Azerbaïdjan riche en petrole dans le cadre de l’Organisation
du Traite de securite collective.

Il y a eu d’autres indications de livraisons d’armes russes a
l’Armenie, pour la plupart realisees gratuitement, qui se seraient
intensifiees dernièrement. Un parlementaire armenien pro-gouvernement
a revendique en mai que pas moins de 120 avions russes ont transporte
des armes a l’Armenie au cours de la dernière annee seulement.

Le commandant de l’armee armenienne du Karabagh, le general Movses
Hakobian, a de meme parle d’acquisitions de grande envergure d’armes
a la fin de juillet. Movses Hakobian a declare que les livraisons
d’armes ont ete si vastes que l’armee du Karabagh a du mal a memoriser
les nouvelles armes et a du construire un nouveau depôt a cet effet.

En particulier, les Armeniens du Karabagh sont connus pour avoir cree
une nouvelle brigade de chars l’annee dernière. Certains analystes
de la defense a Erevan croient qu’elle est armee d’environ 100 chars.

L’Azerbaïdjan aurait commence a recevoir en juin un nombre similaire
de tanks ainsi que de nombreuses autres armes offensives de fabrication
russe d’une valeur estimee a 1 milliard de dollars. Le President Ilham
Aliyev a declare le mois dernier que ” le volume de la cooperation
technico-militaire entre la Russie et l’Azerbaïdjan est evalue a 4
milliards de dollars et cela a tendance a augmenter “.

Selon le quotidien moscovite “Vedomosti”, le chiffre cite par Aliyev
est ” la somme de tous les contrats conclus et en partie executes
depuis 2010 “.

samedi 7 septembre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

WASHINGTON EXPRIME L’ESPOIR QUE L’ARMENIE NE RENONCE PAS A INTEGRER L’EUROPE

USA

Les Etats-Unis ont exprime l’espoir que l’Armenie poursuivra le
processus d’integration a l’Union europeenne meme si elle a cree la
surprise en annoncant son intention de rallier l’Union douanière
dirigee par la Russie, au risque de compromettre la conclusion de
l’accord d’association avec l’UE prevue en novembre.

Reagissant a la decision prise par le president armenien Serge
Sarkissian qui rencontrait V. Poutine a Moscou le 3 septembre, un
responsable du Departement d’Etat americain a indique le 5 septembre,
sous couvert d’anonymat, que “l’Armenie est une nation souveraine,
qui choisit sa propre voie”. “Ces decisions sont d’une importance
cruciale, et c’est a l’Armenie et aux Armeniens de decider”, a
ajoute le diplomate americain, tout en ” encourageant l’ Armenie a
preserver toutes les options dans les domaines politique, economique
et securitaire, et, plus important encore, de maintenir son engagement
a renforcer la democratisation, les reformes politiques et economiques
et l’integration europeenne”.

” L’intensite de ce que les Europeens considèrent comme des moyens de
pression russes et la vitesse du demi-tour de l’Armenie ont effraye
les fonctionnaires de l’UE ” a ecrit le journal The Wall Street Journal
de Bruxelles. Il a cite un diplomate occidental anonyme affirmant que
l’Armenie a negocie avec l’UE en toute bonne foi, mais qu ‘” ils ne
s’attendaient pas eux-memes a ce genre de pression de la Russie.”

Le fonctionnaire d’Etat a egalement semble pointer du doigt la Russie.

“Tous les pays ont le droit de choisir leur propre voie d’integration
economique et de developpement, conformement a l’interet national”, a
dit l’officiel. “Aucun pays n’a le droit de decider de l’orientation
politique et economique d’un autre pays, ni de decider a quelles
alliances et accords commerciaux, il peut adherer.”

vendredi 6 septembre 2013, Gari ©armenews.com

ABOUT 15 MEN WITH STICKS ASSAULTED PARTICIPANTS OF CITY HALL SIT-IN

About 15 people with sticks beat participants of the sit-in in front
of the City Hall. The incident took place on Mashtots Avenue, near
the bowling club. Arman Alexanyan and another two were able to escape.

They were walking away from the City Hall when the assaulters went up
to them and asked them why they were at the City Hall. The young men
recognized them, they had seen them before near the City Hall. The
others were skinheads with black clothes, they looked like bodyguards.

Arman got some injuries around the head. When Vahagn, an activist,
alerted the police, they said let the guys catch them and take them
to the police station.

The police are not taking any action while some hooligans are
threatening the life and health of the citizens.

11:22 05/09/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

RUSSIA HAS NOT PRESSED ARMENIA TO JOIN CUSTOMS UNION: HEAD OF ARMENIA PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATION

YEREVAN, September 5. /ARKA/. The head of administration of Armenian
president Vigen Sargsyan refuted allegations that Russia put pressure
on Armenia to make the latter access Russia-initiated customs union.

“I would like to assure everyone that Armenia has no partners who
speak the language of ultimatums and conditions with Armenia”, Sargsyan
said in his interview to the Armenian service of Radio Liberty.

Since the beginning of the formation of the customs union, Armenia has
honestly and clearly expressed its interest in the process, he said.

Then it was said not having a common border is a serious obstacle
on the way to accession and expert groups were set up to suggest
solutions.

“Recently they managed to submit solutions that allow overcoming this
problem and making participation in the customs union effective and
useful to Armenia’s economy”, Sargsyan said. The decision was made
for the benefit of the country and its citizens, he added.

Tuesday, after the negotiations between Armenia’s and Russia’s
presidents were over, a statement was made saying Armenia
intends to enter the Customs Union and participate later in
formation of the Eurasian Economic Union.-0– – See more at:

DEEP FREE TRADE AREA AGREEMENT COMPATIBLE WITH CIS ECONOMIC COOPERATION: EU

YEREVAN, September 5. /ARKA/. The Deep and Comprehensive Free
Trade Area (DCFTA) agreements may be compatible with the economic
cooperation within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), says
a European Commission statement posted on the EU official website,
Novosti-Armenia reported.

“We take note of Armenia’s apparent wish to join the Customs Union. We
look forward to understanding better from Armenia what their intentions
are and how they wish to ensure compatibility between these and
the commitments undertaken through the Association Agreement and
DCFTA. Once this consultation has been completed, we will draw our
conclusions on the way forward.

We want to underline once again that AA/DCFTA is a blueprint
for reforms beneficial for all and not a zero-sum game and could
be compatible with economic cooperation with the members of the
Commonwealth of Independent States”, the statement reads.

The document says after three and a half years the negotiations
with Armenia on the Association Agreement (including a Deep and
Comprehensive Free Trade Area) were finalized “This agreement would
allow Armenia with the EU´s support, to drive forward a program of
comprehensive modernization and reform based upon shared values,
political association and economic integration”, reads the European
Commission’s statement.

Tuesday, after the negotiations between Armenia’s and Russia’s
presidents, a statement was made saying Armenia intends to enter
the Customs Union and participate later in formation of the Eurasian
Economic Union.

Monday the head of Armenian president’s administration Vigen
Sargsyan said in his interview to Radio Liberty Yerevan’s decision
to access the customs union does not mean a suspension of political
dialogue with the European Union. He also said initialing of the
association agreement with EU at Eastern partnership summit in
Vilnius is still on Armenia’s political agenda.-0– – See more at:

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

INITIALING AGREEMENT WITH EU STILL ON ARMENIA’S POLITICAL AGENDA: HEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION

YEREVAN, September 5. /ARKA/. Armenia’s decision to access
Russia-initiated Customs Union does not imply suspension of political
dialogue with the European Union, head of Amrenian president’s
administration Vigen Sargsyan said in his interview to Radio Liberty.

After the negotiations between Armenia’s and Russia’s presidents
Tuesday, a statement was made saying Armenia intends to enter the
Customs Union and participate later in formation of the Eurasian
Economic Union.

“We are very grateful to our European partners for the path we walked
together. Hence, initialing the agreement with the EU on Eastern
partnership summit in Vilnius remains on our political agenda”,
Sargsyan said.

According to the head of the presidential administration, Armenia’s
view is clear – to try to reconcile these concepts despite the opinion
that accession to the Customs Union is an obstacle on the way to free
trade agreement with the EU.

“In case it turns impossible, we’ll take the most important
from this cooperation on the European path – the political
dialogue, counteraction in the system of values that enables
us modernizing the country”, he said. N.V. -0– – See more at:

MKHITARYAN THANKS FOOTBALL FANS

September 5, 2013

On his Facebook page, Armenian national football team and Germany’s
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan thanked the fans that
voted for him in the official website of the German Bundesliga.

As a result of the online voting, Mkhitaryan was recognized as the
best player of the fourth-round games in the current season of the
Bundesliga.

A total of 41.33 percent of the voters had made their choice in favor
of the Armenian international.

To note, owing to the two goals scored by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Borussia
Dortmund defeated Eintracht Frankfurt on September 1, and by a score of
2-1. In addition, and achieving four wins in just as many matches, the
club went to the break, in connection with the World Cup qualifiers,
as the leader.

NEWS.am Sport

SEVAN WHITEFISH ENDANGERED: SPECIALIST

13:04, 5 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS: The amount of the Sevan Lake
whitefish is gradually decreasing. This was stated by the Director
of the Hydro-ecology and Zoology Scientific Center of the National
Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia Bardugh Gabrielyan
at the press conference held on September 5. “For already five years
we have been suggesting the Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia
to prohibit the fishing of the whitefish in Sevan, as the resources
of that sort of fish are endangered”, – said Bardugh Gabrielyan,
as reported by Armenpress.

According to the Director of the Hydro-ecology and Zoology Scientific
Center of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia,
this year has been a prolific period for the whitefish and if
necessary works had been done, the amount of the fish would be able
to be increased. “Though no control is being carried out and even in
the prolific periods the whitefish is not let to be reproduced”, –
emphasized Bardugh Gabrielyan.

In 1980 the resources of the whitefish in the Sevan Lake made
10-12,000 tons. In 1990 they made 28-30,000 tons and currently it is
only 6-8 tons.

IT’S NOT OFTEN YOU HEAR THE WORDS ‘ARMENIAN SUPERSTAR’ – THE MIRROR

September 5, 2013

The Mirror summed up the summer’s transfer window, presenting the
most expensive moves of 2013.

One of the key transfers mentioned by the newspaper is Henrikh
Mkhitaryan’s move to Borussia Dortmund.

“It’s not often you hear the words ‘Armenian superstar’, but Henrikh
Mkhitaryan’s move from Shaktar Donetsk to Borussia Dortmund for £23.8m
certainly raised the Armenian’s profile,” the Mirror writes.

Last week Mkhitaryan scored his first two goals in Bundesliga and
was recognized the best player of Round 4.

NEWS.am Sport