Author: Andres-Papazian

ANC CANNOT COLLABORATE WITH PROSPEROUS ARMENIA, SAYS DASHNAK LAWMAKER

Tert.am
14.12.11

Artyusha Shahbazyan, the secretary of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) faction in parliament, rules out any
possibility of collaboration between the opposition Armenian National
Congress (ANC) and the Prosperous Armenia party (PAP).

Speaking to Tert.am, the Dashnak lawmaker called upon the ANC leader
and Armenia’s first president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, not to make too
much of any speech, considering it a historic phenomenon.

As for Prosperous Armenia’s failure to respond to the ANC’s proposal
for collaboration, he said the party and its leader Gagik Tsarukyan
probably do not probably consider the move necessary.

At the ANC’s most recent rally on November 25, Ter-Petrosyan
introduced what he called a political analysis on the alliance’s
possible collaboration with Prosperous Armenia. A spokesperson for
the PAP leader, Khachik Galstyan, told Tert.am later that Tsarukyan
was aware of the proposal and had taken it into consideration. The
party has not yet voiced any other response.

From: A. Papazian

FRENCH SENATE SET TO CONSIDER ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL ON DECEMBER 22

armradio.am
14.12.2011 13:52

The French Senate is set to consider the bill criminalizing the
Armenian Genocide denial on December 22. The measure was submitted
by Valerie Boyer, free-lance correspondent Jean Eckian informs.

Representatives of the French Armenian community will gather in front
of the Senate on that day.

Valerie Boyer met last week with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
and Deputy Mayor of Marseille Didier Parakian to discuss the details
of the bill.

From: A. Papazian

UN HOMME D’AFFAIRES AMERICANO-ARMENIEN ARRETE POUR FRAUDE FISCALE
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 14 decembre 2011

Un homme d’affaires americain d’origine armenienne et deux de ses
employes ont ete arretes le week-end dernier sur l’accusation d’avoir
avec malveillance fraude 111 millions de drams (290000 $) au service
des impôts ce que leurs avocats nient fermement.

Nareg Hartounian et les cadres superieurs de sa societe d’importation
alimentaire GH Storage, Ani Mnatsakanian et Artur Galstian, ont ete
formellement accuses après une enquete de plus de six mois conduite par
la Commission des recettes de l’Etat d’Armenie (SRC). Le departement
investigation du SRC les a interroges comme temoins jusque recemment.

Les enqueteurs pretendent que l’entreprise GH Storage, qui appartient
a la famille d’Hartounian, s’est engagee dans la fraude fiscale depuis
2009. Une cour d’Erevan a decide de maintenir les trois suspects sous
les verrous avant leur procès qui devrait se tenir d’ici deux mois.

Leurs avocats ont ecarte les acusatons les qualifiant de sans fondement
lors d’une conference de presse. L’un d’entre eux, Gevorg Chakmishian,
a note que les arrestations sont intervenues peu de temps après
que M.Hartounian ait defie les allegations de la SRC devant la Cour
Administrative d’Armenie.

” Nareg Hartounian a declare a plusieurs reprises que si la Cour
Administrative decidait que les dettes fiscales attribuees a la
societe sont legitimes et fondees, il payera ces impôts complètement
” a dit Gevorg Chakmishian. Il a dit que son client n’a pas chercher
deliberement a frauder.

Un autre avocat, Lernik Hovannisian, a pretendu que l’homme d’affaires
a ete arrete parce que la famille d’Hartounian a refuse de vendre
34 pour cent des parts d’une societe fabriquant des montres a Erevan
a un groupe d’individus proches du gouvernement. Il a refuse de les
nommer cependant.

La SRC n’a pas fait de commentaires.

Les arrestations ont ete condamnees par quelques figures de
l’opposition en Armenie et au sein de la diaspora. Ils ont souligne
le fait qu’Hartounian a pendant des annees finance des projets de
charite en Armenie et au Nagorno-Karabakh et a promu la culture
armenienne par son Institut artistique Naraggatsi base a Erevan.

Les sympathisants d’Hartounian ont fonde aussi un groupe Facebook
exigeant sa liberation immediate. Plus de 1400 personnes se sont
inscrites.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY EXPECTS FRANCE’S CONTRIBUTION IN DISCUSSING TURKISH-ARMENIAN CONTROVERSY THROUGH DIALOGUE

Anadolu Agency
Dec 10 2011
Turkey

Ankara, 10 December: Turkey expressed its expectation from France
to make a contribution in discussing Turkish-Armenian controversy
through dialogue regarding 1915 incidents.

Turkish Foreign Ministry stated on Saturday that initiatives to bring
penal sanction force in a law on 1915 incidents – which had been
adopted in France in 2001 and gave credit to only one party’s views –
recurred especially during electoral periods in France. A draft law
which was adopted at a commission in French Parliament on December 7,
2011 was the recent example of those initiatives, said the ministry,
stressing that French administration knew the sensitivity of this
matter for Turkey.

We hope French administration will not take irreparable steps,
while Turkey and France have entered a stable period during which
the two countries can boost cooperation opportunities on bilateral
and international levels, said the ministry.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY DOES NOT HAVE ANY SERIOUS SOURCE TO PREVENT ADOPTION OF THE BILL PENALIZING THE DENIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ARMENPRESS
DECEMBER 14, 2011
YEREVAN

Speaker of the Turkish parliament Cemil Cicek sent a letter to his
French counterpart calling upon him not to adopt the bill penalizing
the denial of the Armenian Genocide. In the letter Cicek stressed
the “destructive impact” the adoption of the bill may have on the
Turkish-French relations.

Citing Turkish mass media, Armenpress reports that the Turkish speaker
asked his counterpart not to interfere into the issue which is the
“affair of historians”.

The bill envisages one year imprisonment and 45 thousand euros of fine
in case of denial of the Armenian Genocide in the territory of France.

It will be put for voting December 22.

Both international and Turkish experts note in their analyses that the
French National Assembly will adopt the bill penalizing the denial
of the Armenian Genocide as Turkey does not have any serious source
to prevent it.

From: A. Papazian

SHARMAZANOV: TURKISH SPEAKER LEARNT AZERPROP LEGENDS BY HEART

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:01:14 – 13/12/2011

Commenting on the statements of Speaker Cemil Cicek of the Turkish
parliament on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Deputy
Speaker Sharmazanov said the speaker of the Turkish parliament
has learns the lessons of Heydar Aliyev by heart. He recites the
Azerbaijani propaganda (azerprop) legends about 1 million refugees
and occupied areas by heart without understanding a single word of it.

How cynical one should be to make such statements on occupation when
they have occupied the territories of another EU country for years.

The Speaker of the country which denies its crime against humanity
must have serious problems with morality to dwell on Khodjallu events
and accuse the Armenian side for the victims. Sharmazanov said such
statements by the Turkish leadership prove Turkey~Rs lack of principles
and mania of distorting facts.

From: A. Papazian

DISABLED SOLDIER DEPRIVED OF BENEFIT: OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Tert.am
13.12.11

This November, Arayik Melkumyan, who was a detachment commander in
Karabakh, was deprived of his disability pension.

Tert.am told his story here:

Responding to the report, Misha Vanyan, Head of the RA Medical and
Social Expert Examination Agency, informed Tert.am that Melkumyan’s
state does not meet the disability criteria set by the Armenian
government.

In 2008, Melkumyan was granted a disability pension after he was
diagnosed as affected by shell-shock.

“Melkumyan did not receive any treatment until 2008. In 2008, he was
diagnosed as affected by shell-shock. We admit he has a brain injury,
but we do not agree it is so serious,” Vanyan said.

From: A. Papazian

GYUMRI MAYOR ON STIR OVER HOTEL

Tert.am
13.12.11

In an exclusive interview with Tert.am, Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan
commented on the stir over the Alaksandropol hotel built in the
city center.

“I cannot understand the stir. Our family has built a beautiful
hotel in Gyumri. It is distinguished by its original architecture and
high-quality service. Cannot Armenia’s second largest city have such
a hotel?” Ghukasyan said.

Armenia’s press has recently been critical of the Gyumri mayor for
owning a luxury hotel in the city center.

According to Ghukasyan, the hotel is part of his family business. It
has only 18 rooms and cannot cost “millions of dollars.” By spreading
misinformation on “millions of dollars” some opposition mass media
are trying to discredit him, Ghukasyan said. “They are at the service
of the forces that plundered the country,” he added.

“They destroyed earthquake-damaged Gyumri. They did not leave a
single enterprise, sold hotels both in Yerevan and in Gyumri. We
have constructed a new one. Gyumri has a modern hotel that will
play an important role in developing the city’s tourist industry. My
construction project is not even worth 0.001% of what they plundered,”
Ghukasyan said.

He noted he has been doing business for 20 years. He was among
the pioneers of cooperative movement in Shirak. He was engaged in
agriculture and confectionary industry and owned numerous service
businesses and a clothing market. “I owned all that before I became
mayor. It is the result of our family’s hard work,” Ghukasyan said. He
noted that his family also sponsored the construction of the Surb
Nshan church and a number of others. They are now sponsoring the
renovation of the Amenaprkich church.

“Recently we constructed and opened a children’s entertainment center
Wonderland. It is a long-term program. Should the mayor of a city
coping with aftermath of a disaster be blamed for making large-scale
investments thereby promoting business development?” Ghukasyan said
with surprise.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIE : VISITE DU PRESIDENT SARGSYAN AU VATICAN

ZENIT.org

12 dec 2011
Italy

Eduquer les jeunes aux valeurs fondamentales

ROME, lundi 12 decembre 2011 (ZENIT.org) – ” Eduquer les nouvelles
generations aux valeurs fondamentales “, c’est une des priorite de
l’Eglise et de la Republique d’Armenie souligne un communique issu
a l’occasion de la visite du president armenien au Vatican ce lundi
matin, 12 decembre ;

Le president Serge Sargsyan, a en effet ete recu au Vatican, ce
lundi 12 decembre. Le president a d’abord ete recu par Benoît XVI
une quinzaine de minutes, avec une interprète, puis il a rencontre
le cardinal Secretaire d’Etat Tarcisio Bertone.

Un communique du Saint-Siège publie a l’issue de cette visite souligne
que ” l’on s’est felicite des bons rapports bilateraux ” entre le
Saint-Siège et la Republique d’Armenie.

Le communique insiste sur le patrimoine chretien et l’importance de
l’education : ” On a souligne l’importance du patrimoine chretien
de la Republique d’Armenie et renouvele l’engagement a eduquer les
nouvelles generations aux valeurs fondamentales “.

” Les entretiens ont egalement porte sur le rôle de l’Eglise
apostolique armenienne et de l’Eglise catholique dans la societe,
et de la contribution qu’elles offrent au bien commun “, indique la
meme source.

L’Armenie est fière d’etre le ” premier etat chretien “, grâce a
l’oeuvre d’evangelisation de saint Gregoire l’Illuminateur (+ 325),
dont la statue a ete placee par Jean-Paul II dans une niche exterieure
de la basilique Saint-Pierre.

“La conversion de l’Armenie, qui a eu lieu au debut du IV siècle et
qui est traditionnellement situee en l’an 301, donna a vos ancetres
la conscience d’etre le premier peuple officiellement chretien, bien
avant que le christianisme ne soit reconnu comme religion de l’empire
romain”, ecrit Jean-Paul II dans sa Lettre apostolique – du 2 fevrier
2001 – pour les 1700 ans du bapteme du peuple armenien (n. 3).

La meme annee, et pour le meme anniversaire, Jean-Paul II s’est
rendu dans ce pays du Caucase (25-27 septembre 2001). Il s’est
notamment recueilli au Memorial du genocide armenien (1915-1916)
de Tzitzernakaberd, a Erevan, le 26 septembre 2001.

Ce matin, le president armenien a offert a Benoît XVI une statuette
representant deux femmes ayant sauve un precieux manuscrit chretien
pendant le genocide. Le pape a commente ce symbole d’une ” histoire
très emouvante “.

Quant au president, qui a recu la medaille du pontificat. Il a confie
qu’il etait ” très reconnaissant ” et que c’etait pour lui ” un jour
memorable “.

Anita S. Bourdin

From: A. Papazian

CHARLES AZNAVOUR TO PERFORM IN MOSCOW

The Voice of Russia
Dec 12 2011

Legendary French-Armenian singer songwriter Charles Aznavour gives
the one and only concert in Moscow on Monday.

The gig comes within the framework of the 87-year-old’s global farewell
tour which kicked off in 2007.

In Moscow, Aznavour plans to perform an array of songs together with
his daughter Katia.

Aznavour was born to a family of Armenian immigrants in Paris in 1924.

He is internationally known for his unique style and manner of
performance.

From: A. Papazian