Author: Andres-Papazian

US AMBASSADOR IN ARMENIA APPROACHES PROBLEM WITH DOUBLE STANDARDS – OPPOSITION MEMBER

news.am
February 21, 2012 | 14:14

YEREVAN. – Off parliamentary opposition Armenian National Congress
(ANC) Coordinator Levon Zurabyan agrees with the U.S. Ambassador,
while ANC member Social Democratic Hunchakyan Party activist Gurgen
Yeghiazaryan disagrees, Yeghiazaryan told the journalists on Tuesday.

Commenting on the fact that Zurabyan shares the U.S. Ambassador’s
statement that there were no violations during the Armenia’s Hrazdan
city mayoral elections on Feb. 12, Yeghiazaryan said this is the
matter of different opinions.

“There is democracy in the ANC, as Zurabyan has his and I have my
own viewpoint. I believe the [U.S.] Ambassador is highly mistaken
and approaches the problem with double standards,” Yeghiazaryan said.

According to him, people in Armenia are put into deadlock, made
starve. If the situation continues, people may be bribed and forced to
vote for AMD 2,000 ($5) instead of current AMD 5,000 ($10), he added.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIANS IN CANADA ORGANIZE CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 20, 2012 – 21:19 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Armenian Prelacy of Canada’s Armenian National
Education Council is working on a unique event for children
between the ages of 3-12. The event is scheduled for March 17,
2012 from 11a.m.-5p.m. at the Montreal Armenian Community Center’s
Homenetmen-Gamk gym.

The festival offers an array of free activities, including singing,
dancing and music shows, along with creative workshops and cooperative
games, press service of Armenian Prelacy of Canada reported.

From: A. Papazian

BOOK GIVING MUST BECOME LIFESTYLE, CHAIRMAN OF WRITERS UNION OF ARMENIA CONSIDERS

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 20, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, ARMENPRESS: It is already four years that the
all-Armenian Book Giving Day is marked February 19 thanks to the
efforts of the Writers Union of Armenia. Levon Ananyan, Chairman of
the Writers Union of Armenia, said this is a successful initiative.

Armenian Ministries of Education and Science and Culture have already
joined it, organizing “Admission with Book” series of events.

“It means that the movement of book giving is not only a matter
of intellectual, public and strategic significance,” Levon Ananyan
told Armenpress.

Armenian writers implement different projects on book giving in
different establishments of the capital, in provinces, military units.

Chairman of the Writers Union of Armenia emphasized that the goal
of the Writers Union is to turn the ritual of book giving into a
lifestyle, a national program.

In answer to the question of Armenpress’ correspondent the Chairman
of the Writers Union said the favorite Armenian author of all time
is Tumanyan and the foreign one is Shakespeare.

Levon Ananyan assured that thanks to Tumanyan’s verses the crystallized
wisdom of Armenian people is conveyed to generations.

From: A. Papazian

PURIFICATION: ARMENIAN CHRISTIANS ENCOURAGED TO OBSERVE 48-DAY FAST AS GREAT LENT HAS BEGUN
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN

ArmeniaNow

20.02.12 | 12:15

The curtains at churches will stay closed throughout the Great Lent.

The Great Lent period began Sunday evening in Armenia to last for 48
days, till Easter, April 8.

In the period of the Great Lent, pious followers of the Armenian
Apostolic Church vow to focus on spiritual matters through abstinence
and repentance. Observers of Lent refrain from eating meat and dairy
products among other foods, and are encourage to refrain from carnal
pleasures.

The Great Lent symbolizes the fast of Jesus Christ after he was
baptized that lasted for 40 days.

The 40-day lent is followed by a one week-lent, the Passover,
accounting for the 48-day period.

During the period of the Great Lent curtains in the churches are closed
in commemoration of the fact that after sinning Adam was exiled from
Eden and the doors were closed before him.

From: A. Papazian

RED CROSS TO IMPLEMENT HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMS IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

news.am
February 20, 2012 | 19:17

STEPANAKERT.- Acting Foreign Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Vassily Atajanian received on Monday Head of the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Stepanakert Office Roman Paramonov

Paramonov stressed that the ICRC office would continue implementation
of humanitarian programs in the NKR. In particular, he presented the
programs of support for the families of missing persons and those
suffered from mines in the Martakert and Hadrut Regions.

Vassily Atajanian expressed his gratitude to Roman Paramonov for the
efficient work and his readiness to support the leadership of the
ICRC Stepanakert Office in implementing the programs.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN MPS OBJECT TO ‘ARTIFICIAL YOUTHIFICATION’ OF PARLIAMENT

Tert.am
20.02.12

Armenia’s parliament must have young members unless it is done
artificially, Menua Harutyunyan, a member of the Republican Party of
Armenia (RPA), told journalists on Monday.

“If a potential criminal comes in place of a criminal MP, we do not
need it. Those serving their state must get into parliament,” he said.

Armen Martirosyan, a Heritage parliamentary group member, shares
this opinion. “Youthifying” the parliament implies realizing the
“content changes,” he said.

Harutyunyan does not object to a switchover to proportional
representation, and Martirosyan is for a switchover. “If our task
is to prevent people that have nothing to do with parliament from
getting into parliament, they will pay for being put on the lists,”
Martirosyan said.

In response to Harutyunyan’s argument that the RPA has no intention
to put any businessman on its list, Martirosyan said that “the
premier, however, says they can run for parliament from single-member
constituencies.”

According to Harutyunyan, a switchover to proportional representation
will necessitate a second, higher, chamber in Armenia’s parliament
for contacts with Armenian regions to be maintained.

He noted that other parliamentary forces may run for parliament by
means of the proportional representation system.

From: A. Papazian

“PARKS WITHOUT STALLS”: ECOLOGISTS DEMAND WITH A DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF THE CITY HALL

14:19 . 20/02

Ecologists are holding a crowded demonstration before the building
of Yerevan’s city hall. They are struggling for the protection of
the park adjacent to Mashtots Avenue chanting: “Yerevan is ours,
while it is in the hands of oligarchs”, “Green, clean, Yerevan”.

They demand that Mayor Taron Margaryan comes down to meet them and
hear their demands. But Police Lieutenant Colonel Karen Movsisyan
told the demonstrators the mayor will not come down. Taron Margaryan
has ordered to study the demonstrators’ demands including 7 points.

The demonstrators state their main demand for this moment is that the
construction at the park be stopped, and they will struggle unless
the work is stopped.

To recall, the struggle for the park has already been continuing for
10 days. Earlier the mayor received the ecologists, but they didn’t
come to agreements.

From: A. Papazian

ASSYRIANS URGE ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES TO RECOGNIZE THEIR GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 20, 2012 – 17:54 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Representatives of Sweden-based Assyrian Genocide
(known as Seyfo) Research Center issued a message to Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan with a request to recognize the Assyrian
genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire early in the 20th century.

“Armenians are well aware of the pain caused by denial policy. We
always back the Armenian people regarding the issue of Genocide
recognition,” the message reads.

From: A. Papazian

DASHNAK MP SENDS LETTER TO PRESIDENT AMID ENVIRONMENTAL PROTEST

Tert.am
20.02.12

While environmentalists continue their protest in Yerevan’s Mashtots
Park, Vahan Hovhannisyan, a member of the opposition Armenian
Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) faction in parliament,
has sent a letter to the president, calling for measures to reconcile
the municipality’s plan with public concerns.

“The municipality-launched urban development and construction work
in the vicinities of Yerevan’s central avenue has caused serious
public concerns, spurring a wave of protests by environmental and
other non-governmental organizations.

Considering that the activities are being carried out in green areas
considered public property under the Yerevan plan;

Taking into account the fact that the [construction] implies a change
of environment;

Also considering that the current activities are in the interests
and the environmental and cultural problems of the capital city and
its residents;

Guiding myself by Articles 12, 13 and 14 of the Republic of Armenia law
on Urban Development, I request you to organize, within the shortest
possible timeframes, a public discussion to raise awareness of the
Municipality’s projects on the above territory, as well as listen to
the interested individuals and organizations’ views,” reads the letter.

From: A. Papazian

GAGIK BEGLARYAN BACKS CONSTRUCTION OF TRADE PAVILIONS IN MASHTOTS PARK IN YEREVAN, ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY

arminfo
Tuesday, February 21, 14:13

Despite protest actions against construction of trade pavilions in
the Mashtots Park, construction is continued even at nighttime.

Lawyer Mery Khachatryan told media on February 21 that construction
was resumed overnight. The leadership of the nearby hospital and the
maternity clinic responded in no way to the construction noise. “It
is simply silly. The police was on duty at night in order the green
activists do not create obstacles to the construction. The entire
Internet is laughing at such situation,” she said. Khchatryan said
that Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan has not yet expressed desire to
meet with the activists. “Instead, we are reluctant to communicate
with top police officials,” she said.

Karine Danielyan, Head of the Association For Sustainable Development
says that owners of the pavilions are ex-mayor of Yerevan Gagik
Beglaryan and ex-minister of transport and communication Eduard
Madatyan. “At least, their names are mentioned by Mass Media,” she
says. Danielyan suggests meeting with the owner of the pavilions to
put an end to that dispute.

It would be legally based as the municipality has a right to suspend
the contact with the owners, stop construction and hold public
hearings. However, given the response by architect Levon Igityan,
who is a member of the Elder’s Council of Yerevan, the municipality
will go on such step only when pigs begin to fly.

“I believe that these pavilions are temporary. Why they are built of
concrete? They can’t be built on soil, can they? Let’s not war in the
streets. I know some activists, they were my students and they were
rather middling. I did not visit the park. Are trees damaged in the
construction site? Should I care also for trees now?” there are some
of Igityan’s “gems” made in the press conference, Tuesday.

From: A. Papazian