Author: Andres-Papazian

FORMER ARMENIAN POLITICAL PRISONER WISHES TO BECOME MP – NEWSPAPER

news.am
February 15, 2012 | 09:47

YEREVAN. – Former political prisoner Suren Sirunyan could vie for a
majority National Assembly seat in Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary
elections, Aravot daily writes.

“In an interview with Aravot, Sirunyan confirmed our information,
and added that he will take that step in one case. [But] Sirunyan does
not yet disclose what that case is. ‘I will tell when the nominations
begin.’ Sirunyan had recently petitioned to [the European Court of
Human Rights] ECHR to withdraw his [former] petition. He was sentenced
to prison following the events [in the capital Yerevan] on March 1,
2008. At present, he has disagreements with the [opposition Armenian
National Congress] ANC. Formerly, Sirunyan was the chief of security of
[former Internal Affairs Minister] Vano Siradeghyan,” Aravot writes.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIANS AMONG INJURED AT RESTAURANT EXPLOSION IN RUSSIA

news.am
February 15, 2012 | 08:27

VOLGOGRAD. – There are Armenians among the injured at Bellagio
Restaurant explosion in Volgograd, Russia. According to the
preliminary list, Svetlana Ghazaryan, 21, and Agnesa Ghazaryan, 27,
are in serious condition.

Three more Armenians were hospitalized with medium-degree burns. They
are Ekaterina Pahakyan, 35, Arthur Abrahamyan, and Anna Shahbazyan.

The complete list of injured is published on

A fire had broken out at the Italian Bellagio Restaurant on Tuesday at
9:27 p.m. local time. According to preliminary data, the natural gas
boilers heating the restaurant had exploded. Aside from the Restaurant,
the apartment upstairs was likewise completely destroyed by fire.

From: A. Papazian

GREEK ORTHODOX PATRIARCH TO ADDRESS TURKISH PARLIAMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 15, 2012 – 10:55 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew is set to
give a speech to Parliament’s Constitutional Commission on Feb 20
to expound on the problems of Turkey’s minorities, marking the first
such occasion in the history of the Turkish Republic.

Bartholomew will bring up a number of issues in the commission,
including the reopening of the Halki Seminary, the removal of
unfavorable statements about Greeks, Armenians and Syriac Christians
from Turkish class books and the employment of minorities in public
offices.

Bartholomew was invited to Ankara within the framework of ongoing
efforts to draft a new constitution for Turkey, although the move
has led to criticism from some quarters within minority communities,
Hurriyet Daily News reported.

From: A. Papazian

NUMBER OF PASSENGERS LEAVING ARMENIA INCREASED

Lragir.am

Published: 12:25:52 – 15/02/2012

According to the Civil Aviation Committee, the number of passengers
who left Armenia by air this January increased compared with January
last year. This January the number of passengers was 58,095 compared
with 56,785 of last January.

The number of arrivals in the country compared with last January
decreased from 52,270 to 51,935.

The number of passengers who left Armenia via Gyumri airport in
January totaled 2,975, arrivals 2,291.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN CHURCH TO RECEIVE NEW PRIVILEGE

news.am
February 15, 2012 | 11:09

YEREVAN. – The legalization payments will be exempt for Armenia’s
churches and church structures which the individual benefactors had
built, but without the appropriate formalities.

The State Committee of Real Estate Cadastre presented such draft
decision for the Government’s approval. And this matter is included
on the Government’s session on Thursday.

This decision refers to the buildings constructed by, or donated to,
and the plots of land donated to the Armenian Apostolic Church (the
Holy See of Saint Etchmiadzin).

This proposal concerns the legalization of buildings that were
constructed without an authorization.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S MAJORITY ELECTION SYSTEM IS ANTIDEMOCRATIC – OPPOSITION MP

news.am
February 15, 2012 | 11:50

YEREVAN. – The majority election system functioning in Armenia is
antidemocratic, opposition ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party MP Armen Rustamyan
stated during the National Assembly (NA) hearings devoted to changing
to a 100-percent proportional election system in the country.

He added that in all of independent’s Armenia’s parliaments the
majority election system had obstructed the expression of the will
of the people, as the opposition forces, for whom the people voted,
had a very small representation in NA.

As per Rustamyan, the majority election system has always served
for the reproduction of the authorities, and the ousting of the
opposition. ARF MP proposed to at least be honest and to auction off
the majority election seats.

The other keynote speaker, opposition Heritage Party’s Deputy Chairman
Ruben Hakobyan, noted it is not a secret that the main voting fraud
is committed in the majority election system. “There is a simple
business deal between the authorities and the candidates who enter NA
through the majority [election]. The authorities turn a blind eye to
the falsifications and violations, and the MP elected by the majority
[election] brings votes for the authorities,” Hakobyan maintained,
and added that more than half of the 41 MP’s who were elected by the
majority election have not come to NA in months.

From: A. Papazian

LE JOURNALISTE LIBERE CLAME SON INNOCENCE
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 15 fevrier 2012

Hayk Gevorgian, journaliste experimente poursuivi sur des accusations
controversees, a affirme que son arrestation la semaine dernière etait
le châtiment du gouvernement pour ses articles critiques envers le
chef de la police armenienne.

Hayk Gevorgian, qui a ete libere de la detention preventive, a
de nouveau nie categoriquement les affirmations de la police qui
pretendent qu’il a ecrase un homme a Erevan le 13 janvier dans une
voiture appartenant au journal Haykakan Zhamanak.

” Il ne m’a pas semble que la voiture l’ait touche. Il etait
a plusieurs douzaines de centimètres de la voiture ” a dit Hayk
Gevorgian lors d’une conference de presse. ” Il a tenu sa jambe et
a crie, regardant autour de lui pour voir qui le remarquera “.

Le journaliste a ajoute qu’il est alors sorti de la voiture, a gronde
l’homme et a menace d’appeler la police. ” Il n’a pas dit de mot et
j’ai pense que ce qu’il a projete n’est pas arrive et je suis parti
” a-t-il dit.

Hayk Gevorgian a continue a alleguer que l’incident etait une
provocation ordonnee par le chef de la police, Vladimir Gasparian,
pour se venger de ses articles caustiques. Il a pretendu que la
provocation a ete autorisee par les ” plus hautes ” autorites.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIE : REDUCTION DE L’AIDE DU GOUVERNEMENT AMERICAIN
Laetitia

armenews.com
mercredi 15 fevrier 2012

L’administration du president Barack Obama a appele a une reduction
de près de 18% de l’aide annuelle du gouvernement des Etats-Unis a
l’Armenie. Cette aide a regulièrement diminue au cours de la dernière
decennie.

32,5 millions de dollars d’aide economique seraient alloues a
l’Armenie. 3,3 millions de dollars serait egalement alloues pour le
financement militaire du pays.

La reduction proposee semble provenir d’une reduction supplementaire
de l’aide americaine globale en Europe, dans le Caucase du Sud et
en Asie centrale. Neanmoins, les deux principaux groupes de defense
armeno-americains ont critique le projet de reduction de l’aide pour
l’Armenie, ce qui suggère qu’ils feront pression sur le Congrès pour
la rejeter.

” Bien que nous apprecions la decision de l’administration de maintenir
la parite entre l’Armenie et l’Azerbaïdjan en ce qui concerne l’aide
financière, le financement de 2012 devrait etre au moins maintenu “,
a delcare Bryan Ardouny, directeur executif de l’Assemblee armenienne
d’Amerique(AAA).

Aram Hamparian, directeur executif du Comite national armenien
d’Amerique (ANCA), etait encore plus critique. ” Malheureusement,
le president Obama a choisi de ne pas tenir sa promesse et n’a pris
aucune mesure significative pour honorer sa promesse de favoriser la
croissance de l’Armenie et le developpement par l’expansion du commerce
“.

Jusqu’ici, l’argent a ete consacre a l’aide humanitaire, a
l’amelioration des infrastructures, a la fourniture d’equipements,
de conseils et d’autres projets principalement administre par l’Agence
americaine pour le developpement international (USAID).

L’Armenie a egalement recu 177 millions de dollars d’aide distincte
de la Societe aux Etats-Unis du millenaire (MCC) pour remettre a neuf
ses reseaux d’irrigation en milieu rural. Le projet de quatre ans a
ete acheve en septembre.

Les deux groupes de lobbying ont egalement critique l’administration
Obama de n’avoir propose aucune aide directe au Haut-Karabakh.

L’ANCA, pour sa part, s’est plaint que l’USAID n’ait finance
que 2 millions de dollars pour les projets de developpement au
Haut-Karabakh par an ces dernières annees. ” Ce niveau de financement
du Haut-Karabakh est considerablement moins que ce qu’on nous avait
promis “, a-t-il dit.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION TO PARTICIPATE IN UN PANEL SESSION

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 15, 2012 – 16:50 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The United Nations Commission on the Status of
Women (CSW) will hold its 56th session this year on the theme “The
Empowerment of Rural Women and Their Role in Poverty and Hunger
Eradication: Development and Current Challenges.”

According to The Armenian Mirror-Spectator, the Armenian International
Women’s Association will participate in the meeting by sponsoring
a workshop on the opening day of the session on February 27. CSW
sessions attract hundreds of women annually to New York from all
parts of the world.

The AIWA workshop will focus on issues relating to the position of
rural women in Armenia, enhanced by perspectives gained from programs
developed in other nations.

Illustrated presentations by two professionals experienced in working
with rural women will evaluate various strategies used to address
the empowerment of women.

The first presenter, Sara Anjargolian, is a photographer and attorney
in Los Angeles who has documented the lives of the Zulu people in South
Africa, the plight of the extreme poor in Armenia, and the status of
refugees living along the border with Azerbaijan in Armenia’s rural
areas. She will speak about the power of images to inform and inspire
social change and about her personal transformation while spending
time with these groups of people.

Anjargolian will also address the benefits of partnering documentary
photographers and media professionals with aid organizations, focusing
specifically on how narrative imagery can empower the individuals
depicted and help contextualize their unique challenges and triumphs.

The second presenter, Ana Cristina Schirinian, divides her time between
Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Yerevan, Armenia (and often places in
between). An attorney by profession, she is special assistant to
Eduardo Eurnekian, head of Corporacion America, an Argentine holding
company active in a number of diverse industries, including airport
construction and management.

As president of Tierras de Armenia, an agricultural project in Armavir
province that specializes in offering the latest technology for growing
fruit, and as executive director of Fruitful Armenia, Shirinian is
familiar with the life of rural women in Armenia. She will compare
her observations regarding agricultural conditions in Armenia with
her experiences stemming from similar programs in Argentina, Morocco
and Italy.

From: A. Papazian

YSU TO OPEN ARAB AND ISLAMIC STUDIES CENTER

Tert.am
15.02.12

The Yerevan State University (YSU) is going to open a Center for
Islamic and Arab studies, the minister of education has said.

At a meeting with Kuwaiti Ambassador Bassam Muhammad Alqabandi,
Armen Ashotyan unveiled plans enhance Arab studies Armenia.

He said the Ministry is going to open high schools specialized in
advanced Arab language teaching.

The sides further stressed the importance of elaborating joint
educational programs and expanding and enhancing bilateral ties.

Briefing the guest on Armenia’s education development trends, the
minister said that there are aimed at developing a contemporary
education system and training highly qualified specialists.

“We would be very pleased to see students from Kuwait in Armenia’s
higher educational institutions,” Ashotyan said adding that the
country can ensure competitive education at reasonable costs.

Thanking the minister for the reception, the ambassador said Armenia
and Kuwait have great potentials to develop cooperation in different
sectors, and educatopm can assume a leading role in such efforts.

From: A. Papazian