Month: February 2015

INDOOR SWIMMING POOL BUILT AT CHILDREN’S HOME IN GYUMRI

17:03, 09 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has built an indoor therapy pool and
related amenities at the Children’s Home of Gyumri, which shelters and
provides care to children with physical and mental disabilities. The
project was sponsored by the fund’s Swiss affiliate.

The 30-square-meter, 70-centimeter-deep pool is complemented by a
dressing room, a shower room with a separate section for massage
therapy, and restrooms. Featuring a heating and ventilation system
for year-round operation, the pool is designed to provide access
to children with physical disabilities through a ramp as well as a
mechanical crane for wheelchairs.

“The pool is a great help in developing motor skills and strengthening
muscles through aquatic exercises. The medical staff will receive
thorough training in hydrotherapy,” said Children’s Home director
Ruzanna Avagyan in a phone interview. “The pool is also open, free
of charge, to children with limited abilities who live with local
families.”

Close to 130 children under six years of age live and receive
professional care at the Children’s Home. When they reach age six,
they’re placed in similar specialized facilities.

In 2011-2012, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund implemented a complete
renovation of the two buildings of the Children’s Home. The project was
sponsored by the fund’s German affiliate. Following the development,
the Fund reconstructed and furnished the playground, as well as
provided the orphanage with additional furniture and equipment.

NO MILITARY SOLUTION TO THE KARABAKH CONFLICT: OSCE

12:57, 09 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic
met the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of
the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America,
and Pierre Andrieu of France) today to discuss developments in the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. The OSCE Secretary General Lamberto
Zannier and the Personal Representative of the CiO Ambassador Andrzej
Kasprzyk also joined the meeting.

We all agree that the military situation along the Line of Contact and
Armenia-Azerbaijan border is deteriorating, posing a threat to regional
stability and endangering the lives of civilians. The 12 casualties
and 18 wounded cited by Ambassador Kasprzyk’s monitoring reports
in January represent the highest confirmed number of victims in the
first month of a year since the 1994 ceasefire agreement. After 2014,
in which approximately 60 people lost their lives, we are alarmed
that this disturbing violent trend has continued.

There is no military solution to the conflict, and the sides must cease
using force. We call on the sides to end incursions, cease targeting
villages and civilians, stop the threat of reprisals and the use of
asymmetric force, and take additional steps to reduce tensions and
strengthen the ceasefire. We find it unacceptable that the security
guarantees are not fully observed during OSCE monitoring exercises.

Additionally, we reaffirm the December 4, 2014 joint statement of the
Heads of Delegation of the Co-Chair countries at the Basel Ministerial
Council, calling on the sides to settle humanitarian issues, including
the return of bodies and prisoners, in the spirit of the Astrakhan
statement of October 2010.

The Minsk Group Co-Chairs, with the full support of the
Chairperson-in-Office, are prepared to host an intensified negotiation
process that can bring to a peaceful end to a conflict that has
scarred the region for too long. We strongly urge the sides to find
the political will to begin this process immediately without excuses.

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER, EU ENVOY DISCUSS THE KARABAKH CONFLICT

18:56, 09 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan and EU Special Representative
for the South Caucasus and the Conflict in Georgia Herbert Salber
met in Yerevan today to exchange views on the Karabakh conflict
settlement process.

Seyran Ohanyan briefed the guest on the situation at the line of
contact. He drew the attention of the EU envoy on the abrupt escalation
of tension and stressed the importance of restraining the assaults
of the Azerbaijani side by the international community.

The Armenian Defense Minister emphasized the importance of implementing
confidence-building measures between the parties.

Expressing concern over the increased number of ceasefire violations at
the frontline, Herbert Salber noted, in turn, that the European Union
accepts the leading role of the OSCE Minsk Group in the settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and is ready to contribute to the
negotiation process.

From: A. Papazian

RUSTAM GASPARYAN: PEOPLE SHOULD UNSEAT SERZH SARGSYAN: THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION

17:29 | February 9,2015 | Politics

At the conference of ‘non-governing’ forces organized by Prosperous
Armenia Party (BHK), Gagik Tsarukyan announced that the ‘ball is in
the court of the government.’

Aravot.am has asked BHK lawmaker Rustam Gasparyan to explain
Tsarukyan’s statement. What is Serh Sargsyan expected to do? Is he
supposed to fulfill the 12-point demands of the opposition forces to
prevent people from holding street demonstrations?

“Should Serzh Sargsyan have any intention to fulfill the demands
he would have done it long ago. We do not have any expectations
from Serzh Sargsyan. People should stand up and unseat him through
rallies. There is no other option,” he said.

When asked what way of struggle they suggest if they exclude bloodshed,
violence, and Maidan, Mr Gasparyan said, “Was there any bloodshed
when the Communist system collapsed? No, there wasn’t.

People stood up for their rights and pushed for Communists’
resignation. It was a critical moment and the Communists stepped down.

From: Baghdasarian

HERITAGE: AUTHORITIES ARE TAKING REVENGE ON ACTIVISTS

14:30 | February 9,2015 | Politics

The Heritage party expresses its concerns over the weekend attack on
Artak Khachatryan, a member of the Political Council of the Prosperous
Armenia Party (BHK).

In a statement issued on Monday, the party said it strongly condemns
the chase of citizens for their political views and the vicious
practices of terrorizing citizens, viewing it as ‘a silent permission’
given by the authorities that came to power through rigged elections
and law enforcement agencies.

“The recent attacks make us assume that the authorities are taking
revenge on those activists who are trying to raise a voice of protest
against permissiveness and anarchy in the country.

We demand that relevant agencies, particularly the Armenian Police,
take drastic measures to disclose the assailants and identify the
effeminate perpetrators of the attack, giving each of them his due
punishment, since violence and impunity, as we can see, give birth
to new atrocities,” the party said expressing its support to Artak
Khachatryan and all citizens who are fighting justice.

The party calls on everyone to be united and unyielding in the fight
against the illegitimate regime.

RALLIERS MARCH TO POLICE HEADQUARTERS (VIDEO)

14:53 | February 9,2015 | Politics

The rally organized in support of activist Artak Khachatryan who
was brutally beaten up on Saturday, continues in Yerevan, with the
participants demanding that the police immediately reveal the incident
and punish the assailants.

Artak Khachatryan, a member of the Political Council of the Prosperous
Armenia Party (BHK), was attacked on Saturday afternoon in Yerevan
by masked men who forced him into a car and took him to an unknown
direction. He was later found near his home in an unconscious state
and brutally beaten up. Artak Khachatryan is also known as an active
participant in recent protests against the new law on the sales tax.

“A heinous crime was committed in the presence of eye-witnesses. Artak
was kidnapped in a cynical way by masked men and beaten up severely
for six hours. It is a matter of honour and dignity for the police
and law enforcement agencies to reveal the crime as soon as possible,”
said BHK lawmaker Naira Zohrabyan.

She says the attack was politically motivated.

The ralliers have started a march to the police headquarters.

Addressing the chief of the Armenian Police, Vladimir Gasparyan,
ARtak’s brother Artyom Khachatryan said everyone’s dignity is offended,
and people call for an immediate disclosure of the incident.

We cannot wait for a long time, we do not have nerves of iron,” he
said adding that they well call for resignations of top officials if
the crime is not revealed.

AZERI POLITICAL SCIENTIST VIEWS ALIYEV’S PROPOSALS FOR NK CONFLICT SETTLEMENT AS RIDICULOUS

17:23, 9 February, 2015

YEREVAN, 9 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. Director of the “East-West” Research
Center of Azerbaijan, political scientist Arastun Orujlu views
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev’s “proposals” for the settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the Munich Security Conference as
“absolutely ridiculous”.

As “Armenpress” reports, touching upon Aliyev’s speech in Munich in an
interview with Azerbaijan’s Meydan TV, Orujlu said Aliyev’s thoughts
on “supporting” the civil society of Nagorno-Karabakh “are nothing
but ironic”.

WHO HAS AGREED TO SUPPLY WEAPONS TO ARMENIA?

Naira Hayrumyan, Political Commentator
Comments – 09 February 2015, 19:05

The minister of defense had two important meetings last week. On
February 5 he met with CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha and
on February 6 he met with the U.K. Ambassador Katherine Leach.

Ohanyan talked to Bordyuzha about the development of “the CSTO military
component” and Katherine Leach told him that the United Kingdom is
ready to act as a provider in NATO-Armenia relations.

The recent escalation in Artsakh and Tavush forces experts to bring
up the need for buying new kinds of weapons, including both offensive
and modern defensive weapons which help detect the place where fire
was opened.

The Western media reported that the United States is likely to
supply such weapons to Ukraine. Certain things have been supplied,
particularly equipment that allows detecting and destroying
emplacements. Now anti-tank weapons are considered which, for example,
helped scan and destroy entire tank units in Libya.

Armenia needs such arms, and the question is not who could supply those
to us. NATO member states have such weapons, and judging by Katherine
Leach’s visit, the United Kingdom is ready to talk to Armenia about
this. However, the question is whether Yerevan is ready to act against
Russia’s will and ask NATO countries for help in order to protect
its soldiers and borders.

According to the 2010 deal, Russia was recognized as a guarantor
of security of Armenia. It involves complex measures, and their
performance is hard to consider at the social level. Burdyuzha’s
latest visit is evidence that CSTO may supply weapons to Armenia as a
“military component”. It may have even already been supplied.

At the end of this year NATO training center will open in Georgia,
Armenia’s neighbor which may later be used as a missile defense base
of center. The Russian government has already announced to respond to
the strengthening of NATO at its borders. It is possible that in this
context Russia will try to strengthen its base in Armenia. However, it
will promote escalation rather than the level of security of Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

EXCLUSIVE CONTRACTS: SUPPLYING MEDALS TO ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT

15:32, February 9, 2015

Marine Madatyan
Grisha Balasanyan

When it comes to supplying the Armenian government with medals, to be
awarded by its various ministries and state agencies to individuals
and organization s deemed worthy of praise and merit, Yerevan Jewellery
Plant-1 OJSC has cornered the market.

Founded in 1950, Gnomon Armenia boasts that it is the largest jewellery
manufacturer in the region. In 2014, it received 23 million AMD
(US$48,200) in payment for supplying the Armenian government with a
variety of medals and decorative awards. In most cases, the company
won the contracts on a non-competitive basis.

Here’s a list of some of the state agencies that purchased medals
from Gnomon:

Ministry of Education and Science: 5,760,000 AMD contract to supply
60 8,000 AMD “Progress” medals and 110 48,000 AMD commemorative medals.

The former are made of gilded brass and the former, gilded silver.

Armenian Police: 11,040,720 AMD contract. The company has supplied
the police with 1,406 medals of various types under its exclusive
contract. The contract stipulates that the medals must be made from a
“light metal”, without specifying what type.

Ministry of Nature Protection: 400,000 AMD contract.

Ministry of Economy: 600,000 AMD contract

Ministry of Emergency Situations: 1,305,000 AMD contract. Compnay
has supplied 90 gold-plated brass medals

Armenia’s Investigative Committee: 4,459,000 AMD contract. Company
has supplied 686 ID cards fashioned from a copper alloy at 6,500 AMD
per card.

To produce state medals, chest decorations and other awards in
Armenian, a company needs a license issued by the Ministry of Finance.

Gnomon received such a license in 2007.

According to Nasdaq OMX Armenia, Gnomon OJSC is 75.89% owned by Gnomon
Ltd. 10.13% is owned by Emil Grigoryan, Chairman of the Jewellers
Association of Armenia. (Grigoryan is also general director of
Gnomon). 2.28% is owned by family members of Emil Grigoryan. The
remaining 11.7 % is owned by 1,454 shareholders.

Gnomon Ltd., registered in Russia, is 50% owned by Emil Grigoryan. The
other 50% is owned by his daughters.

MUST PICK UP THE GAUNTLET: PROTEST IN SUPPORT OF KIDNAPPED AND BEAT UP ACTIVIST (VIDEO)

02.09.2015 18:06 epress.am

Until society counters the authority’s acts of violence, incidents of
people being subjected to violence will be continues, said Armenian
National Congress (HAK) MP Aram Manukyan in front of the government
building during a solidarity protest for Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK)
political councilor Artak Khachatryan. Khachatryan was kidnapped and
brutally beaten on Saturday.

According to Manukyan, society has to pick up the thrown down gauntlet,
but need to counter attack not through violence like the authorities
do, but by consolidating power through civil and political forces.

BHK faction MP Naira Zohrabyan found it obvious that the attack on
Artak Khachatryan had a political nature and it occurred only after
he joined the Law on Turnover Tax protest movement.

Zohrabyan stressed that such incidents in reality remain undiscovered,
for example, the case of MP Aram Manukyan’s attack, where after the
suspect confessed, his motives were entirely uncredible.

Khachatryan’s brother Artyom Khachatryan, said that he believed his
brother’s attack was connected to his participation in the “Kasetsum”
(Suspend) movement, and not with his connection to the BHK. He said
that today, Artak Khachatryan is already able to give a testimony
to what happened. Note, that dozens of entrepreneurs were present at
the protest, as well as MPs. Many of the participants held placards
writing “We are all Artak.”

After half an hour in front of the government building, the
demonstrators began their rally toward the police and prosecutor’s
office, demanding a fair investigation and that those guilty be
discovered.

From: Baghdasarian