Month: July 2014

ARMENIAN GEOGRAPHIC PREPARES TO CLIMB MOUNT ARARAT (PHOTOS)

July 04, 2014 | 00:01

YEREVAN. – The Armenian Geographic project–which was established in
2012–is preparing to make an ascent to Mount Ararat.

“One of its [the project’s] objectives is to introduce Armenia’s
geography by way of expeditions,” project founder Tigran Shahbazyan
told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“We differ [from many such organizations], since we put the emphasis
on geographic objects. Armenia has a great potential to [also]
develop mountaineering, rock climbing, cave expedition, etc.,”
Shahbazyan added.

In his words, although most participants in these treks are the
residents of Armenia, foreigners likewise partake in them.

Tigran Shahbazyan also informed that in August, the Armenian Geographic
plans to climb Mount Ararat, which is located in Turkey, and anyone
with a good physical health may join this ascent.

OVER THOUSAND OF ARMENIAN ECONOMIC ENTITIES ON LIST OF RISKY COMPANIES WITH ‘SHADOW’

YEREVAN, July 4. /ARKA/. More than a thousand of economic entities
have been included in the list of risky companies with ‘shadow’
turnover, Armenia’s first deputy minister of finance Armen Alaverdyan
told reporters on Thursday.

In mid May Armenia’s premier Hovik Abrahamyan set a deadline (by
1st of July) for businessmen and bankers to come out f the ‘shadow’,
otherwise, the government will use its instruments for solving the
problems it faces.

Some economic entities admitted the violations found and are ready
to make the required changes, but the other part does not agree and
see no shortcomings in their reports, Alaverdyan said.

The deputy minister said they focused on importers and producers in
their inspections and found about 1,200-1,300 companies are willing
to revise their turnover, staffing and pay indicators. Some 600-700
companies oppose the results of the monitoring and the ministry of
finance is going to prove there are violations.

Alaverdyan said the ministry is currently working with both types of
companies. Respective sanctions will be applied to offenders by the
end of this year, he said.

According to Armenia’s ombudsman, ‘shadow’ economy is about 35-40%
in the country. -0–

– See more at:

From: Baghdasarian

“WHO ASKED YOU TO KILL MY CHILD THEN GIVE MONEY FOR THE FUNERAL?”: MEETING WITH ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER

07.04.2014 10:53 epress.am

Nana Muradyan (pictured, left), mother of military conscript Valery
Muradyan who died during his army service under non-combat conditions,
at a meeting with RA Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan (pictured,
right) tried to find out how much her family received from the ministry
— a matter that Margarita Khachatryan through various people recently
brought up and, according to Muradyan, with which she tried to publicly
discredit her. In conversation with Epress.am, Muradyan said that after
her son’s death, funds to cover the funeral expenses were allocated
to her from the state, which was confirmed by the defense minister.

On June 26, Muradyan told the Epress.am correspondent that she was
approached by a woman who introduced herself as Ano of the Armenian
National Army who told her that on the day of her son Valeriy
Muradyan’s funeral, Chair of Zinvor (“soldier”) Association of NGOs,
mother of a deceased soldier Margarita Khachatryan (known by the
nickname “Maroz”) asked the Ministry of Defense to transfer money to
the Muradyan family not only to cover funeral expenses, but also to
purchase an apartment, to which the family, according to Ano, agreed.

Muradyan believes this was said to discredit her, as she claims she
didn’t receive an apartment.

“[At the meeting,] I told Ohanyan, first, who asked you to kill
my child, then give money for the funeral? When I asked how much
money did you give me, he said, Mrs. Nana, don’t say such a thing,
that is allocated to you, nothing illegal was done — you received
the amount legally allocated to you. He also told me not to pay
attention to such talk, and I said, how can I not pay attention, if
those people came purposefully to embarrass and disgrace me? I have
nothing to be embarrassed about: I’m a parent whose child was killed
in the Nagorno-Karabakh army, and if money was allocated to me for
the funeral, I don’t have to declare it to the whole world,” she said.

According to Muradyan, the minister promised to talk about this issue
also with Margarita Khachatryan.

“We asked Ohanyan to organize a meeting with the president and to
intervene to create a commission in the National Assembly, so that
the cases can be submitted for public discussion. He promised, and
we wrote a letter, which we will now deliver and wait,” she concluded.

From: Baghdasarian

CHESS CHAMP ARONIAN TO LEAD CHESS CAMP IN LA

11:03 04.07.2014

On Monday, July 7, World Cup and 3 time Chess Olympiad Champion Levon
Aronian will be holding a public press conference to meet and greet
media and members of the community. Grand Master Aronian is making
his first visit to Los Angeles for a 4-day chess camp organized by
Metro Chess and the American Chess Academy to be held at the Glendale
Hilton from July 9 to 13, Asbarez reports.

As part of the visit, Aronian will be teaching and coaching camp
attendees as well as sharing his own experiences as the winner and
title holder of many chess championships and tournaments including
leading the Armenian national team to three World Chess Olympic
titles. Only 31, Aronian is the third highest ranked chess player in
the history of the game behind Gary Kasparov.

Ardy Kassakhian, Glendale’s elected City Clerk, expressed his
enthusiasm about Aronian’s upcoming visit, “Levon Aronian has become
an icon for chess enthusiasts worldwide. But being from Armenia, and
elevating the game to new heights has secured him a particular place
in the pantheon of chess greats alongside such legends as Petrosian
and Kasparov. Glendale has one of the largest populations of Armenians
in the United States and it is a great honor to welcome a chess giant
to our city!”

Aronian will answer questions and meet with the public at a special
reception held on Monday, July 7 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the City of
Glendale Adult Recreation Center Auditorium located at 201 East
Colorado, Glendale, CA 91205 next to the Central Library.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

His Holiness Aram I receives the General Secretary of the Middle East
Council of churches (MECC)

Antelias – On Sunday 29 June 2014 MECC General Secretary, Dr Michel Jalkh,
met with his Holiness Aram I in his office. As one of the Presidents of the
Council, the Catholicos was briefed by Dr Jalkh on the activities of the
MECC and on the recent ecumenical meeting with partners held in Amman
Jordan.

Following discussion, Catholicos Aram I proposed the following three
urgent steps to help member churches in the region: To organize a meeting of
the Executive Committee of the MECC, to prepare a plan of action to help
Christian refugees and channel humanitarian assistance through the church
institutions, and to hold a meeting of the religious heads of Middle East
Churches.

The Middle East Council of Churches is the only ecumenical body in the
region and brings together four church families: The Eastern Orthodox
(Chalcedonian) churches, The Oriental Orthodox (non Chalcedonian churches),
the Catholics and the Protestants.

Representatives of the Catholicosate of Cilicia will attend the meetings
of the Governing Bodies of the World Council of Churches (WCC)

Antelias – The Central Committee of the WCC will meet in Geneva 2-8 July
2014. This is the first meeting of the Committee that was elected during the
10th Assembly in Busan South Korea in 2013. It will adopt the post-Assembly
vision statement and set priorities for the next seven years. The Executive
Committee will meet on 9 July, following the meeting of the Central
Committee.

The Catholicosate of Cilicia will be represented on the governing bodies
of the Council by Archbishop Nareg Alemezian and Ms Teny Simonian.

# #

From: Baghdasarian

Armenian Assembly of America News
1334 G Street, N.W., Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20005
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairmen `Speak Out’ About Azerbaijan’s Declining
Human Rights Record, Call on President Obama to Appoint Special Envoy to
Nagorno Karabakh

By Taniel Koushakjian
July 2, 2014

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recently
concluded their annual Parliamentary Assembly meeting, held this year in
Baku, Azerbaijan. The OSCE-PA consisted of approximately 300 Members of
Parliament from over 50 participating member states from June 28 – July 2,
including U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ),
Chairman and Co-Chair, respectively, of the U.S. OSCE Helsinki Commission.

Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Khadija Ismayilova
in Baku, Sen. Cardin noted that `Azerbaijan has a strategic partnership
with the United States” in dealing with international security issues, but
added that Washington will continue to raise human rights and press freedom
concerns with the Azerbaijani government. `When it comes to the last
presidential election [in Azerbaijan], it was not rated to be `free and
fair,” Cardin said, stressing that Azerbaijan has =80=9Cserious issues’ when
dealing with opposition political parties. Also, regarding the Azerbaijan
government’s 2009 ban on radio broadcasts by RFE/RL, British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC), and Voice of America (VOA) in Azerbaijan, Cardin said
that `We [the U.S.] continue to speak out about that,’ before Ismaliyova
finished her question. `We want an open media… open internet,’ he said,
calling the Azerbaijan government’s actions as potentially violating the
`basic rights that the people of Azerbaijan deserve.’

In a separate interview with Ismayilova, Rep. Smith stressed the urgency of
resolving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and called on President Obama to
appoint a special envoy to usher in a breakthrough in the now 20 year-old
negotiations. Smith said he suggested in Baku that a `very high-profile,
international personage’ be `tasked’ with seeking a resolution to the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Smith cited President George W. Bush’s
appointment of a special envoy to Sudan and President Clinton’s appointment
of a special envoy in Ireland as examples of the `high-level personal
interest by the President of the United States,’ that helped bring
about a
resolution in those conflicts. Smith said that President Obama `could play
that role,’ if he appointed a special envoy, warning that `this could break
out into a very hot war, very quickly.’

Full transcripts of the interviews are available below.

Mariam Pashayan, Peter Kechichian and Gevorg Shahbazyan contributed to
this report.

###

Khadija Ismayilova, RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service, Interview with U.S.
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) in Baku, Azerbaijan

Published June 30, 2014

Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD): Azerbaijan has a strategic partnership with the
United States dealing with security issues. Their cooperation in Iran and
Afghanistan is important. Their energy policies are important, but when it
comes to the last presidential election it was not rated to be `free and
fair.’ They have serious issues as to how they treat the opposition. So
there are human rights issues that we have raised, and continue to raise,
as a friend, trying to get the type of improvements we think would be
beneficial to Azerbaijan and help in regards to their relationship with
other countries.

Khadija Ismayilova: Radio Free Europe, among other foreign radios, BBC and
Voice of America, is banned on local frequencies in Azerbaijan-

Senator Ben Cardin: And we speak out against that. We want to open media,
open coverage, open internet, all that we believe are basic rights that the
people of Azerbaijan deserve.

Khadija Ismayilova: There are journalists and bloggers in prison and
election monitors-

Senator Ben Cardin: We have spoken up about that also. We have spoken out
about areas that we think need to be improved.

Khadija Ismayilova, RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service, Interview with U.S. Rep.
Chris Smith (R-NJ) in Baku, Azerbaijan

Published June 30, 2014

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ): The two parties, you know, have been poles
apart, and that’s always a problem. I have suggested that, in addition to
the Minsk group and the other mechanisms that exist for trying to get a
resolution, that a very high-profile international personage might be
tasked, as we saw with Sudan. Senator Danforth was picked by George Bush
after years of conflict, you know, what something in the order of four
million, two to four million nobody knows the exact number, died in South
Sudan and with Darfur thrown in, huge loss of life. When Senator Danforth
became special envoy for President George W. Bush, he got the parties
together and stayed in that room until they hammered out an agreement and
it’s known as the comprehensive peace agreement, the CPA. That would have
not have happened with Bush’s extraordinary efforts. The same thing
happened in Northern Ireland where the troubles had killed thousands, the
Protestants and the Catholics couldn’t have been poles apart, and in this
case President Clinton tasked another U.S. Senator, former, who got the
parties together, stayed in that room until came and hammered out the Good
Friday agreement. But it took that high-level, personal interest on the
part of the President of the United States, and that’s not to say some
other world leader could play that role, but I think the President could
play that role. So a special envoy with the idea of saying let’s solve
this, because this could break out into a very hot war very quickly.

Available online at:

ARMENIA’S NON-RULING ‘QUADRUPLE’ SAYS IT CAN IMPLEMENT SYSTEMIC CHANGES AVOIDING SHOCKS

YEREVAN, July 3. /ARKA/. The non-ruling ‘quadruple’ is able to
implement systemic changes in Armenia avoiding shocks, secretary of
the Armenian National Congress (ANC) opposition faction Aram Manukyan
said after the meeting of the ‘quadruple’ on Wednesday.

‘We aim not at abrupt moves and shocks, but at systemic changes
by peaceful means. We urged the authorities to show sound mind and
implement the 12 provisions we have submitted’, Manukyan said.

On June 10, the non-ruling factions of the Armenian parliament,
Prosperous Armenia, Dashnaktsutiun, Heritage and the ANC, submitted
12 economic, political and social requirements to the authorities to
be met by the end of September 2014. The quadruple is going to hold
an all-national rally on the Liberty Square in September to report
on the status of the requirements and further steps.

Head of Heritage faction Ruben Hakobyan said the ‘quadruple’ is the
factor balancing Armenia’s political life today. The ‘quadruple’
may become an alternative power and is ready to implement what the
programs of the four political forces envisage, he said.

Prosperous Armenia faction deputy Mickael Melkumyan stressed the
‘quadruple’ is prepared to lead the society toward changes, ruling
out social shocks and crashes.

Head of ARF Dashnaktsutiun faction Armen Rustamyan, in his turn,
said the ‘quadruple’ intends to closely cooperate with the civil
society later. -0–

– See more at:

NEW POWER UNIT AT YEREVAN THERMAL POWER PLANT MAY BE CONSTRUCTED IN NEXT 3-4 YEARS – MINISTER

YEREVAN, July 3. /ARKA/. The new power unit of the Yerevan Thermal
Power Plant may be construction in the next three-four years,
Armenia’s minister of energy and natural resources Yervand Zakharyan
told reporters on Wednesday.

The government haas prepared the respective program envisaging more
acceptable tariffs for electricity, he said at the official opening
of Energy Week 2014.

Zakharyan said talks are under way with the Japanese side for the
loan. Yet, the minister has not specified any details. The issue is
being negotiated, he said.

The Yerevan thermal power plant was modernized and equipped with
a new steam-gas unit of combined cycle and was re-commissioned in
April 2010. Total rated capacity of the new plant is 271.7 megawatt;
the production output is 242 megawatt and thermal output is 434.9
gigajoules-hours. The new steam-gas unit was constructed in cooperation
with the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation that provided
a loan worth $247 million for 30 years with a 10-year grace period.-0–

– See more at:

ARMENIA’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY SUGGESTS TURNING OFF POWER AS PROTEST AGAINST TARIFF INCREASE

YEREVAN, July 3. /ARKA/. The Democratic Party of Armenia (DPA) suggests
residents of Armenia turning off the power at 22:00 on July 5 in
support of ‘Against electricity tariff increase” civil initiative,
says a press release from the DPA.

Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission raised the electricity
tariffs at its meeting on Tuesday.

In particular, the tariff for electricity supplies by the Electric
Networks of Armenia will be 41.85 drams per kilowatt-hour in daytime
(from 7:00 to 23:00) compared to the current 38 drams, and 31.85 drams
per kilowatt-hour at nights, compared to the current 28 drams. The
decision comes into effect on August 1, 2014. -0–

– See more at:

L’ADHESION DE L’ARMENIE A L’EEU POUR OCTOBRE

Cooperation

L’Armenie est susceptible de definitivement adherer a l’Union
economique eurasienne dirigee par la Russie (EEU) en octobre, a declare
hier le ministre des Affaires etrangères du Kazakhstan, Erlan Idrissov.

” La signature des traites aura très probablement lieu a Minsk en
octobre lors d’une reunion des chefs d’Etat de EEU”, a-t-il ecrit
sur Twitter.

Les representants du Parti republicain etaient reticents a speculer
sur les dates possibles de l’adhesion de l’Armenie a l’EEU.

L’administration de Sarkissian avait espere terminer le processus
d’adhesion en mai. Le president russe Vladimir Poutine a exprime
l’espoir mardi que cela se deroulera “dans un très proche avenir.”

Ce retard alimente la speculation a Erevan que la Bielorussie, le
Kazakhstan et meme la Russie ne sont pas desireux de voir l’Armenie
rejoindre leur alliance. Armen Martirosian (Zharangutyun) a declare
hier que la Russie traîne les pieds maintenant, car elle espère attirer
l’Azerbaïdjan dans l’EEU avec des promesses concernant le conflit du
Haut-Karabagh. Il a declare que Moscou est pret a conclure un accord
avec Bakou “au detriment des interets de l’Armenie.”

Alexander Arzoumanian, autre politicien d’opposition fermement opposes
a l’adhesion a EEU, a suggere que le gouvernement armenien ne sait
tout simplement pas quand il va rejoindre le bloc. “Moi aussi, je
l’espère,” a t-il dit, en commentant la declaration de Poutine.

“J’espère que l’Armenie n’adherera pas a l’Union eurasienne.”

jeudi 3 juillet 2014, Claire (c)armenews.com

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress