Author: Andres-Papazian

ARMENIAN CATHOLICOS AND CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE OF ASIA SECRETARY GENERAL DISCUSS INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

news.am
February 09, 2012 | 21:16

Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia of Armenian Apostolic Church
Aram I met with Christian Conference of Asia Secretary General Rev.

Dr. Henriette Lebang on Thursday.

The parties discussed issues and challenges confronting inter-church
movement and especially the current situation of Asian inter-church
movement.

Lebang gave invitations to Aram I for inter-church congresses in
Taiwan and Indonesia.

From: A. Papazian

“WE ARE IN A STAGE WHEN NKR PARTICIPATION IS RATHER IMPORTANT”

Aysor.am
Thursday,February 09

“If we want to see progress in NKR conflict settlement then we should
surely take into consideration the fact that the NKR leadership must
take part in negotiation processes. In the NKR issue we have arrived
to the point where the opinion and disposition of the NKR authorities
is very important,” said RPA fraction deputy Karine Achemyan at a
press conference today.

The deputy assured that there will be progress in the process if they
take up that step.

“The international community that follows this process and the work of
the Minsk Group, shares our opinion. It is very important to involve
the Artsakh Republic in the negotiation process,” she stressed.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA INCREASES BRANDY PRODUCTION 21.5% IN 2011

Interfax
Feb 8 2012
Russia

Armenia increases its brandy output 21.5% in 2011 to 15.3 million
liters, the National Statistics Service reported.

Wine production grew 6.3% to 6.18 million liters. Liquor output
dropped 23.1% to 9.16 million liters and beer production was down 4%
to 14.7 million liters.

The main sales markets for Armenian brandy are Russian and other
CIS countries.

Brandy is usually Armenia’s most export-oriented product. The
government predicts brandy output in monetary terms should reach $160
million to $195 million in 2015 and $270 million to $320 million
in 2020, compared to $107.3 million in 2010. Exports are also set
to increase significantly, but Armenia plans to diversify its sales
markets. The share of exports to Russia will go down to 70% in 2015
and 65% in 2020 (80% in 2010) and exports to China will increase
to 5%-7% in 2015 and 8%-10% in 2020. Armenia also plans to sell to
Southeast Asia and ethnic markets in the United States, Germany and
Eastern Europe.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA PRESIDENT HANDS ORDER OF HONOUR TO SERGEI KIRIYENKO

ITAR-TASS News Agency
Feb 8 2012
Russia

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has handed the Order of Merit to
the head of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom,
Sergei Kiriyenko.

The CEO of Rosatom was awarded the order by a decree of the Armenian
president of October 21, 2011 “for his significant contribution to
the strengthening and development of cooperation between the Republic
of Armenia and the Russian Federation in the economic sphere.”

The awarding ceremony was held here on Tuesday at a meeting of Sargsyan
with Kiriyenko. They noted the dynamic development of Russian-Armenian
economic cooperation, stressed the importance of cooperation in the
energy sector, including Russian participation in the design and
construction of a new power unit of the Armenian nuclear power plant,
the presidential press service reported.

Sargsyan said that the construction of a new reactor with the
participation of Russian experts and with the use of Russian technology
“can become one of major programs of economic cooperation between
the two countries.”

From: A. Papazian

OFFICIAL STRESSES FULL MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BTW ARMENIA, RUSSIA

ITAR-TASS News Agency
Feb 8 2012
Russia

Full mutual understanding on all problems has taken shape in the
relations between the strategic partners, Russia and Armenia, the
Secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, Artur Bagdasaryan said
Wednesday.

“Russia and Armenia are strategic partners today and they have full
mutual understanding on all the problems,” he said at a meeting between
Russia’s Security Council chief, Nikolai Patrushev, and the officers
of the Russian military base and Russian border troops department
in Armenia.

“Issues of border security maintenance have been raised to the highest
level in this country,” Bagdasaryan said. “Recently a concept of
Armenia’s border security was adopted and we’re cooperating on its
implementation with Russia’s border guards who’re guarding this
country’s state border.”

According to Bagdasaryan, Patrushev and he had discussed a wide
range of issues pertaining to the strategic partnership between the
two countries.

“We don’t have any issues today on which the two countries wouldn’t
have full understanding,” he said.

“We have a very interesting and tightly packed agenda,” Bagdasaryan
said adding that he hoped for good results of cooperation.

He thanked Patrushev “for the huge permanent attention to strategic
partnership, especially in the field of security.”

“The Security Councils will have a lot of work to do after this visit
and we, the secretaries, will see to it that all the agreements are
fulfilled on time and all the tasks we’ve set forth are translated
into life.”

From: A. Papazian

VIDEO: ARMENIAN MPS VOTING FOR OTHERS ON BILLS

epress.am
02.09.2012

Yerkir Media uploaded a video on its site today shot during a National
Assembly session, in which MPs were voting for other MPs.

Recall, discussed among other bills today was intervention of the army
during a state of emergency put forth by the justice minister, a bill
of which 67 MPs voted in favor. Heritage Party MP Larisa Alaverdyan,
however, said there were insufficient deputies in the room at the
time the voting took place for there to be quorum.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARY OPPOSITION AND RULING COALITION PARTIES JOINED EPP

news.am
February 09, 2012 | 21:03

YEREVAN. – Three political powers parliamentary opposition Heritage
party together with ruling coalition members Republican Party of
Armenia (PRA) and Orinats Yerkir joined European People’s Party.

To note, ruling coalition member Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP)
also had applied, however its application was not discussed at all.

In addition, EPP delegation headed by the EPP vice president, European
Parliament MP Corien Wortmann – Kool visited Armenia last November
for fact-checking mission and met with those political powers.

From: A. Papazian

DAVUTOGLU TO DISCUSS ARMENIAN ISSUE, SITUATION IN SYRIA AND RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL

ARMENPRESS
9 February, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu will leave for Washington, Armenpress reports citing
“Zaman”. During the meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton Davutoglu will discuss numerous issues exciting international
community.

The main topics of the bilateral meeting will be the Iraq and Iran
issues, the latest events in the Middle East, the situation in the
Caucasus and Cyprus and the events held in the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

It is mentioned that before the discussions of Turkish-Israeli issues
with Davutoglu Hillary Clinton will first hold a meeting with Israeli
FM Avigdor Lieberman.

From: A. Papazian

PREPARATIONS FOR STATE OF EMERGENCY

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 19:41:56 – 08/02/2012

The parliament held the first hearing of the draft law on the legal
basis of the state of emergency presented by the government. The law
defines the prerequisites for imposing a state of emergency.

By the way, the issue became urgent after 1 March 2008 when Robert
Kocharyan imposed a state of emergency. The opposition stated that
it was unlawful because Armenia did not have a law on a state of
emergency.

Now on the eve of the parliamentary elections the government sets
to fill in this legislative gap, which allows supposing that the
government does not rule out developments similar to those in March
1 and thus creates the legislative framework for its possible actions.

The draft law has been presented by the minister of justice Hrair
Tovmasyan who says that a state of emergency can be imposed where
circumstances directly threatening the constitutional order are
present, where efforts are made to topple the constitutional order
by way of use of force and to usurp power or to remove the government.

A state of emergency will be imposed in times of armed uprisings,
unrests, terrorist attacks, occupation or blockade of a facility,
actions of bands, nationalistic, racial, religious conflicts which
are accompanied with violent actions and threaten the life and health
of people.

The draft law states that a state of emergency can be maintained by the
police, the national security service and the forces and assets of the
state authorized security agencies. According to Hrair Tovmasyan, the
draft law prescribes intervention of the armed forces only where the
troops of the police and national security bodies are not sufficient
to settle the issue.

The opposition argues against the thoughts on the deployment of the
army, noting that it poses danger of intervention of the army in
domestic issues. Member of Parliament Armen Martirosyan, Heritage,
expressed concern. The ex-speaker in 2008 Tigran Torosyan announced
that the draft law must have more precision regarding the issue of
deployment of the army. Tigran Torosyan also announced that the draft
law should have been adopted earlier, and it is highly important.

By the way, the ex-president Robert Kocharyan stated in one of
his recent interviews that he deployed the army on March 1 after
consulting the speaker and the prime minister as required by the
Constitution. Later the ex-speaker Tigran Torosyan told the press
that Kocharyan had not consulted him on the deployment of the army.

From: A. Papazian

NEWSPAPERS TODAY: WILL ARMEN GEVORGYAN BECOME ARMENIAN PM?

08.02.12, 13:16

According to “Zhokhovurd” newspaper today Armenian National
Congress will hold a meeting, where ANC participation in the coming
Parliamentarian election will be discussed. The ANC will discuss who
at last will lead the list at the elections, but the final will not
be made this as well. According to the newspaper this list is really
a great issue for the Congress. Many members want to participate in
the list but the places are few.

“Hayatsq” newspaper writes that journalist of “Aravot” newspaper
Margarita Yesoyan seems to become a deputy at the RPA list. When she
was asked about it the journalist said that she heard about it for the
first time but she would not be against of becoming a deputy. But the
newspaper refers to its own sources and assures that the journalist
will be included in the leading party’s list.

The newspaper also writes again referring to its own sources that
it was discussed for some times at Armenian President’s resident
the possibility of Armen Gevorgyan to become Armenian Prime Minister
after the Parliamentarian elections. Of course this step by Armenian
President is not accepted in same way by all. Many people are against
it. But many officials are for this plan.

“Yerkir” newspaper writes that Syuniq Governor Surik Khachatryan
have appealed to the court against Armenian newspaper “Zhamanak” and
1in.am news web-site and will appeal to the court against “Arm news”
TV channel as well. “Zhamanak” newspaper published an interview some
days ago where S. Khachatryan as if made an inappropriate offer to the
journalist. But the Governor claims that the journalist did not speak
with him but spoke with someone else whose phone number is likely to
the governor’s phone number. “Yerkir” newspaper tried to find out
that has happened and called by the noted phone number. The person
who answered did not want to present himself and confessed that he
spoke with the journalist from “Zhamanak” newspaper.

“Yerkir” also writes that the editor of “Literal newspaper” will
be changed. Writer Karine Khodikyan will become the new editor of
the magazine.

From: A. Papazian