Month: September 2013

PACE DENIES AZERBAIJANI PROVOCATION REGARDING SARSANG WATER RESERVOIR

10:55, 5 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. The news circulating in the
Azerbaijani media saying that the PACE Presidential Committee has
approved the motion for resolution on Sarsang Water Reservoir submitted
by Azerbaijan is not accurate. This is a pure disinformation, which
attempts to speculate in the issue of the Sarsang Water Reservoir,
which is situated in the central part of the Martakert Region of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

Responding the inquiry submitted by “Armenpress”, the PACE
Communication Division stated: “I am afraid that this information
is wrong, as the PACE Bureau decided last Monday to forward this
motion for resolution to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and
Sustainable Development only for information (a document forwarded for
information cannot give rise to a committee report to the Assembly).”

ARMENIA IS A SOVEREIGN STATE, WHICH MUST CHOOSE ITS DIRECTION BY ITSELF: U.S. OFFICIAL

12:06, 5 September, 2013

WASHINGTON, SEPTEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. All the countries have the
right to choose their own way of economic integration and development
according to their national interests. As reports “Armenpress” the
U.S. Department of State official, who preferred not to publish his
name, stated this in a conversation with Radio Liberty Washington
journalist Richard Solash. The official commented on Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan’s announcement saying that Armenia joins
the Eurasian Customs Union. The U.S. Department of State official
underlined that Armenia is a sovereign state, which must choose its
direction by itself.

Among other things the official noted: “These decisions are of a vital
importance and they must be taken by the Armenians and Armenia. We
encourage Armenia to remain loyal to a row of its commitments in
the political, economic, and security spheres, and its dedication
to the future democratization, political and economical reforms and
European integration.”

TCA Arshag Dickranian Armenian School
1200 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Tel: 323-461-4377
Fax: 323-323-461-4247
Contact: [email protected]

TCA Arshag Dickranian School Starts 2013-2014 Academic Year

Los Angeles, September 3, 2013 – With the pomp and circumstance of its
traditional Opening Ceremony, TCA Arshag Dickranian School re-opened its
doors for its 33rd consecutive scholastic year to its students on Tuesday,
September 3, 2013 at 8:30 a.m. The highlight of the Opening Ceremony this
year was the shift of the leadership of the school with the appointment of
Dr. Manoug Seraydarian as the new principal.

The guests of the event included the Primate of the Western Diocese Arch.
Hovnan Derderian, benefactors Mrs. Cindy Norian and Mr. Hmayak Baltayan,
school structural engineer Mr. Hagop Nazarian and TCA Beshguetourian Center
Chairman Mr. Kevork Keushkerian. Among the board members attending were
board chairman Mr. George K. Mandossian, vice chair Mr. Parsegh Kartalian,
treasurer Mrs. Angine Garibyan and Mr. Diran Depanian,

The event took place at the open courtyard of the school where students
ranging from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade gathered under the
supervision of their teachers, along with the presence of dedicated
parents.

Mr. Parsegh Kartalian, who acted as the MC, first invited Archbishop Hovnan
Derderian to offer his prayers, after which all participants stood for the
renditions of the US, Armenian and school anthems. Next, student council
vice president Arthur Mazloumian was invited to recite the pledge of
allegiance, which was followed by student council president Mary
Sultanyan’s greetings. Mr. Kartalian then invited the chairman of the board
of trustees Mr. George K. Mandossian to deliver his message on behalf of
the board. Mr. Mandossian greeted the students, parents, teachers and
guests, and officially announced the appointment of Dr. Manoug Seraydarian
as the new principal of the school. He concluded his speech wishing
everyone a productive year. Following Mr. Mandossian’s message,
benefactress Mrs. Cindy Norian was invited to present her message on behalf
of the Dickranian Family. “There were some changes last year and there will
be more changes this year,” said Mrs. Norian. “Change means progress. It’s
important to embrace it.”

In his first principal’s message, Dr. Manoug Seraydarian greeted attendants
and welcomed the students to the new scholastic year. “I am honored to be
here amongst you to serve this school and be a part of this family. The
gift of education is upon us.” Said Dr. Seraydarian. “The best way to
predict the future is to create the future. Aim high, dear students, and be
our distinguished ambassadors at UCLA, USC, Stanford and other respected
universities.”

At the end of the program, Mr. Kartalian invited Arch. Hovnan Derderian to
deliver His closing remarks, who wished the students a blessed, industrious
journey this year.

Diverting from the previous years, the surprise of the moment was the
sounding of the first bell by the pre-kindergarteners. As students headed
towards their classrooms, the senior students guided the first grade
students to their classroom and handed them books as gifts.

Located at 1200 North Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, the TCA Arshag
Dickranian Armenian School is a federally tax exempt, Pre-K to 12th grade
private educational institution. For more information visit

###

EU POSTS DROP IN JOBLESS RATE, ARMENIA’S UNEMPLOYMENT AT 16.9%

September 3, 2013 – 14:05 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The number of jobless in Europe fell slightly in
July and business optimism rose, according to official data, adding
to the tentative signs that the region’s economy is staging a modest
comeback, AP reported.

Europe’s statistics office said the number of unemployed in the
eurozone was down by 15,000 to 19.23 million, marking the second
consecutive fall since April 2011. The jobless rate remained at a
record of high of 12.1 percent.

Meanwhile, an index of European business sentiment rose again on the
month while the monthly inflation rate for the 17 nations using the
euro decreased.

The economy of the 17 EU nations that use the euro had been stuck
in an 18-month recession to the first quarter of this year as a debt
crisis prompted many countries to pursue tough austerity policies that
weighed on growth and confidence. The eurozone finally moved out of
recession in the second quarter of this year, showing a 0.3 percent
increase in annual economic output. The unemployment rate for the
28-nation EU held steady at 11 percent as the number of jobless fell
33,000 to 7.42 million, Eurostat said. On the year, EU unemployment was
up from 10.5 percent while the eurozone rate was up from 11.5 percent.

EU youth unemployment in July remained high with a total of 5.56
million under 25 registered as unemployed, even though it dipped
slightly from 23.5 to 23.4 percent on the month. For the Eurozone,
it rose by 0.1 point to 24 percent for the eurozone.

According to the National Statistical Service, Armenia posted
16.9 percent unemployment rate in the Q1 2013, with 3.2 percent
year-over-year drop reported.

23.3 percent jobless rate was recorded in Armenian cities, down from
28.8 percent in Q1 2012, with villages posting 8 percent, up from
6.9 percent last year.

Employment agencies reported about 68,400 jobseekers. The Service
listed 1,359,600 economically active people in Q1 2013, with the
number dropping 4.5 percent against last year.

IN JAN-JUNE 2013 EUROPEAN AND RUSSIAN INVESTMENTS IN ARMENIA DROPPED BY 60.4% AND 4.6%, RESPECTIVELY
by Karina Melikyan

ARMINFO
Tuesday, September 3, 13:21

In Jan-June 2013 European and Russian investments in Armenia dropped
by 60.4% and 4.6%, respectively, as compared with Jan-June 2012.

The National Statistical Service of Armenia reports that European
foreign direct investments (FDI) were down 78.6% to $48.2, and Russian
FDI fell by 14.3% to $32.8. More than half of these investments fell
on telecommunications ($16 mln), almost $11 mln – on transportation,
$4.6 mln – on power engineering, $3.5 mln – on production of base
metals, and almost $1 mln – on wholesale and retail trade.

France reduced its FDI by 86% to $28.9 mln, Belgium – by 6.6% to
$102.5 thsd, Luxemburg – by 63% to $4.2 mln. Total investments from
Great Britain dropped by 41.9%, while FDI grew more than 100-fold
to $5.1 mln, which was invested in mining industry. In the meantime,
investments in production of beverages, metallurgy and airline service
were zeroed. Among the EU countries, only Finland and Cyprus increased
their investments (2.6-fold and 14-fold, respectively).

To note, over the past 5 years Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark,
Italy and Hungary zeroed their investments in Armenia.

As compared with Jan-June 2012, Armenian-Russian trade turnover was
down 2.4% to $597 mln due to the fact that imports fell by 7.6% to
$453.4 mln and exports rose by 18.9% to $143.5 mln. Russia’s share
in Armenian exports made up 20.5%, and the share in imports – 23%.

The foreign trade turnover with the EU countries dropped by 0.9% to
$779.2 mln: exports fell by 3% to $250.6 mln and imports rose by 0.2%
to $528.6 mln. Armenia exported commodities mostly to Belgium (11.6%
of exports), Bulgaria (9.7%), Germany (5.5%), the Netherlands (5%).

The biggest importers to Armenia were Germany (6%), Italy (4%), Romania
(2.6%), Belgium (1.9%), Bulgaria (1.8%), as well as Austria and France
(1.4% each).

To note, over Jan-June 2013 the total foreign trade turnover of Armenia
amounted to $2.7 bln (up 0.8% versus Jan-June 2012). Exports totaled
$699.7 mln (up 9.9%), and imports amounted to $2 bln (down 2.1%).

NUMBER OF TOURISTS TRAVELLING TO ARMENIA ROSE BY 14.3% IN 6 MONTHS

YEREVAN, September 3. / ARKA /. Number of tourists who visited Armenia
in the six months of 2013 rose by 14.3% compared to the same period
of the year before.

Total number of tourists who visited Armenia in the reporting period
reached 321,279 people.

A total of 63,941 tourists were accommodated in hotels during their
stay (3.2% increase), according to the statistics.

Number of Armenian tourists traveling to other countries grew by 13.6%
in the six months to a total of 343,263.

According to the information provided by hotels, 29.7% of the overall
number of tourists who traveled to Armenia was from CIS countries,
36.3% – from EU countries and 34.0% from other countries. -0-

– See more at:

SYMBOL OF ENDING EPOCH

Defense of the Covered Market from the oligarch who owns it is the
symbol of present-day Armenia.

The country is like a big market where everything is bought and
sold and where nothing is produced, only resold. Now as European
integration is underway, the market is turning to a supermarket,
comfortable and clean.

The owner of the market Samvel Alexanyan is the symbol of the ending
epoch: a person who has nothing except the aptness of being in the
right place at the right time and giving money to the right people.

The person who has started at the very bottom and crossed the highest
bar was not even appointed to a government post due to his poor
word stock.

The Covered Market is the symbol of Armenia: an architectural monument,
ugly looking, a little gloomy, has been suddenly covered with glass
and concrete. It is like Armenia with its old traditions, clans,
idolatry, flattery, which are artificially decorated with European
freedom and democracy.

Samvel Alexanyan’s defenders are poor women who are made to shout
things that one would be ashamed of telling neighbors later on,
women who have come to demand jobs. This is the symbol of Armenia –
people deprived of basic things who want to work and they are ready
to sell their souls for the sake of a piece of bread.

The police are the symbol of the weakness of the state which does not
know what to do, is trying be respectful but can’t help kissing the
girl’s neck. It is like the Armenian state which is created to protect
the people living in this area but serves a few families instead.

And civic activists who are fighting against unlawfulness. They are
the new symbol of small Armenia who hold the future in their hands.

They do not believe in the old idols, they do not believe in
favoritism, to them freedom and democracy are not just mausoleum with
stained glass. They prefer clear glass, clean and light.

The “fairy tale” about the covered market ends as in all the other
fairy tales. They cut the beard of the wicked sorcerer, and he turns
out to be a toothless clown with crooked legs who amuses people.

Naira Hayrumyan 14:50 03/09/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

ARMENIA’S AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT AMOUNTED TO 297.9BLN DRAMS IN JAN-JULY

YEREVAN, September 3. / ARKA /. Agricultural output at current prices
was about 297.9 billion drams in January-July 2013, an increase of 4.7%
compared to the same period of the year before, ArmStat reported.

Total output in agriculture and fishery rose by 5.6% in the reporting
period to over 308.1bln drams, according to the report.

Livestock production amounted to about 160.1 billion drams in
January-July, an increase of 1.6% compared to the same period of the
year before. Plant growing rose by 8.8% to about 137.9 billion drams
and fishing output amounted to 10.1 billion drams (34.0% increase).

Cattle and chicken sales remained unchanged compared to January-July
2012 – 4,500 tons; a small difference

Occurred only for Gegharkunik and Armavir regions – 0.7 and 0.8
thousand tons respectively.

Milk production totaled 68,400 tons, an increase of 5.5% against July
2012. The highest milk production level in the period was recorded
for Gegharkunik region – 12,500 tons.

Egg production dropped by 1.6% to 67.2 million pieces in July compared
to the same period of the year before. The highest number of eggs
was produced in Armavir region in the period – 14.3 million.

In July fishing production output totaled 412.2 tons (with all of it
sold), an increase of 27.1% compared to the reporting month of 2012.

($1=406.24drams). -0–

– See more at:

RETRO. WILL “AZG DAY” NEWSPAPER BE PUBLISHED?

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

September 3 2013 

There is some tension in government-media relations in any country.

The authorities do not like the press, and it is natural, it can not
be otherwise. The government’s favorite print or electronic means,
in essence, are not a press, but simply bulletins of formal decisions,
news and views, which, of course, have their place in public life. The
rest is a press, which, I am repeating, regardless of its orientation
and level, is irritating the authorities. Simply, the officials in
democratic society are able to manage their own nerves, realizing
that the media is, however, necessary. During totalitarian regime,
the press was banned, only official bulletins were authorized. Interim
events are taken in the countries of interim phase. It is, of course,
possible to close and ban all newspapers without hesitation. But,
in this case there is too much headache, the democratic ambassadors
begin to complain, express concern, send reports, etc. Naturally,
nothing is changed, but those formal movements of great democratic
teachers cause some discomfort.

Therefore, more elaborate form is designed, to administratively hand
in the press media to someone else, who, by the way, quickly fails the
task assigned thereto from above. This method was first applied to “A1”
independent TV studio, where the author of these lines participated in
the creation of its image. The administrative manipulation studio was
separated from the staff creating the “A1” name. The next was “Lragir”
newspaper. This paper was acquired popularity thanks to the efforts
of Haykazn Ghahriyan and his friends. Again, the fragile nerves of an
official did not stand, and the newspaper was transferred to others,
and completely different people started to work under the name of
“Lragir”. (to the point, if they had the talent and resources to
publish the daily, why didn’t they call their new paper by another
name). Fortunately, “true” creative staff of “Lragir” was able to
continue the work by publishing “Lragir day” newspaper. Now the “Azg”,
which, of course, became one of the most prestigious newspapers in
Armenia thanks to hard work of Hakob Avetikyan, Hamlet Gasparyan, Hakob
Asatryan and other talented journalists. Does the Central Committee
of the Liberal Democratic Party want to have a newspaper? Very well.

Let it have 10 of it, if it is authorized by the law. But, why with
the name “Azg” that does not belong to any political party, but
above all the property of the reader. And, it is still a question
whether Mr. Avetikyan will succeed to publish “Azg Day” or “Azg X”
newspaper. To be honest, in this story I am not interested at all
in Liberal Democratic Party, neither in ADLA. Let all the parties
forgive me, their passions and conflicts are seen very small from
the side. The destiny of “Azg” newspaper is important, a newspaper,
which during its five and a half years contributed to the formation of
the political culture with its high professionalism, and mostly sober
and balanced posture trying to transfer civilized character to our
social life. …And I rush to tell our nervous government officials:
“Azg” and all the other papers do not constitute the slightest threat
to any political power and an official, and do not impede. But support
the public. ARAM ABRAHAMYAN 24.04.1996

Read more at:

From: A. Papazian

SURENYANTS: RUSSIA MAKES UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NO LONGER ARMENIA’S STRATEGIC PARTNER

15:29 03/09/2013 ” POLITICS

Armenia-European Union and Armenia-Russia relations will be the key
topics of discussion at today’s meeting between Serzh Sargsyan and
Vladimir Putin, political scientist Suren Surenyants told a news
conference in Yerevan.

Surenyants believes that Armenia’s political elite should voice its
intention to see the Russian military bases outside Armenia.

“The establishment of relations with the neighboring countries and the
Euro-Atlantic integration should be the main guarantee of security
for Armenia. The significance of the Russian military base in our
country’s territory should not be overestimated in the context of
the new realities,” Surenyants said.

According to the expert, Russia clearly makes understand that it has
long ago given up the status of Armenia’s strategic partner.

Source: Panorama.am