Author: Andres-Papazian

UNE UNION ECONOMIQUE DANS LE CAUCASE DU SUD EST POSSIBLE SEULEMENT EN PRESENCE D’UNE VOLONTE POLITIQUE
[email protected]

armenews.com
samedi 24 septembre 2011

ARMENIE

Une union economique dans le Caucase du Sud est possible seulement en
presence de la volonte politique des trois pays, de leurs partenaires
strategiques et des organisations internationales, a declare le
directeur du Centre de recherche “Alternative” Tatul Manaseryan lors
de la conference “Caucase-2011″ a Erevan.

A cet effet, les dirigeants des trois pays devraient comprendre que les
tentatives pour etablir de nouveaux liens strategiques avec les pays
developpes eloignes ou d’entrer dans des unions etablis, y compris
l’UE, vont echouer car aucun pays developpe qui n’est pas integre
dans l’economie regionale, n’a pu integrer efficacement l’economie
mondiale jusqu’a present.

Il est necessaire d’apporter une reelle securite militaro-politique
pour un developpement stable en tenant compte de l’experience de
l’Europe après la Seconde Guerre mondiale qui a servi de base fiable
pour l’integration en Europe et, plus tard, la creation de l’Union
europeenne.

” À l’heure actuelle, la cooperation peut etre basee non seulement
sur la securite sur le plan politique, mais aussi economique dans la
region, notamment en accordant une attention aux menaces generales et
aux possibilites de fournir de l’energie, des produits alimentaires,
en prenant en compte l’ecologie” a declare Manaseryan.

From: A. Papazian

TCHAIKOVSKY TRIUMPHS
Barry Millington

The Evening Standard (London)
September 22, 2011 Thursday
UK

There are competitions and competitions, and then there’s the
International Tchaikovsky Competition. Founded in 1958, the
Tchaikovsky, which these days embraces cello and voice as well as
piano and violin, is arguably the most prestigious of them all.

Previous winners include Ashkenazy, Van Cliburn, Pletnev and Sokolov,
while former judges have numbered such legends as Richter, Oistrakh
and Callas. In recent years, though, the Tchaikovsky has fallen prey
to the malaise that afflicts most competitions sooner or later. There
were accusations of favouritism, cartels and bribes, and eventually
Valery Gergiev was hired to ride in and cleanse the Augean stables.

Under his chairmanship the 2011 competition delivered winners who
may not have been uncontroversial Ñ that would have been asking too
much Ñ but who could grace a gala concert by the LSO under Gergiev
himself fit to open the season.

First up was the South Korean soprano Sunyoung Seo, who delivered
an affecting account of the Letter Scene from Eugene Onegin. It’s
requiring a lot of a singer to invest such a scene with all the
expressive immediacy and poignancy that the dramatic context helps
to create, but this was a Tatyana I would like to hear more of.

Winner of the cello section was Armenian Narek Hakhnazaryan,
who brought to Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations an ideal blend of
Mozartian elegance and intimations of the melancholy that was to
characterise Onegin (composed very shortly after). But inevitably
it’s the blockbuster of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 in B
flat minor that defines the competition and the winner of the piano
section. The young Russian Daniil Trifonov can pound the ivories with
all the power of his compatriots. He found ways of making the piece
his own, though, with some inspired turns of phrase.

After all the heroics it was good to hear another side of this
talented artist in an encore, Liszt’s La Campanella, thrown off with
breathtaking delicacy.

From: A. Papazian

ARMEN RUSTAMYAN: RECOGNITION OF NKR BY URUGUAY TO GIVE A NEW IMPETUS TO THE PROCESS

ARMENPRESS
SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS: Recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic by Uruguay will give a new impetus to the process. Chairman
of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Armen Rustamyan
told Armenpress that international recognition of the NKR may get
a new impetus if at least one country recognizes it. After that the
other countries may follow that example.

“It is very important that at least one country recognizes our
country, it will unequivocally bring changes with it. The works
implemented by Armenian Cause offices are connected with it,” Mr.
Rustamyan said. According to him, the efforts must be activated at
state level too in order this process is strengthened, and Uruguay
becomes the first swallow. Armen Rustamyan expressed confidence that
it itself will already bring serious changes to settlement process
of Nagorno Karabakh.

To remind, Foreign Minister of Uruguay Luis Almagro had come forth
with an unprecedented statement, which particularly runs, “Today
we discuss the issue to express a viewpoint at a state level, but I
am personally sure that Nagorno Karabakh is the historical part of
Armenia and must be independent or joined with Armenia in a short
period of time. This is the only solution to the Artsakh issue.”

From: A. Papazian

MP: AUTHORITIES NEED MAJORITY ELECTION SYSTEM FOR REPRODUCTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 22, 2011 – 17:01 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia’s authorities lack political will for
holding fair elections and need the majority system for reproduction,
a member of parliament said.

“Authorities do not wish to give away the tools of their reproduction,
and they will fight for them. We will be fighting against those tools,”
Armen Rustamyan, ARF Dashnaktsutyun party member, said at a political
debate on election systems.

He stressed that not a single opposition or independent candidate,
who would later become opposition supporter, has won a seat by majority
system. According to Rustamyan, money is the decisive factor in those
elections. Here he ironically suggested authorities holding auctions
for deputy mandates on majority system and use the money for settling
issues in the constituencies.

He said Armenia’s key problem is that people do not believe that they
can achieve change of power through elections.

For his part, Heritage party member Ruben Hakobyan noted that Armenia
saw the only fair election in 1990 in the soviet election system. He
stressed that proportional representation system in Armenia is a must.

Today, 90 of Armenia’s 131 National Assembly deputies are elected by
proportional system and 41 by majority system.

The debates were initiated by the Armenian Center for Political and
International Research assisted by the US National Democracy Institute
(NDI).

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN FARMERS TO GET MORE OF ELITE RUSSIAN WHEAT SEEDS

/ARKA/
September 22, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, September 22. / ARKA /. The Armenian government has assigned
today agriculture minister Sergo Karapetian to hire Seeds Agency, a
government-owned nonprofits company, for distribution of some 1,1000
metric tons of elite wheat seeds imported from Russia to farmers across
the country. Farmers willing to receive the elite seeds must meet a
number of requirements, including ownership of at least 7 hectares
of land.

The minister was also asked to arrange the purchase of 400 tons of
seeds grown by those farmers who had received elite seeds from the
first batch brought from Russia. Prime minister Tigran Sarkisian
said the ministry has already collected about 2,900 tonnes of first
reproduction wheat. “This means that in 2012 farmers will increase
the land under crops and besides we will have a higher output because
high-quality seeds are available now, “he said during a government
meeting. Sarkisian described this as a “serious revolutionary change”
in agriculture.

The second batch of elite Russian seeds arrived in Armenia on August
20. The price of seed dropped this year from one US Dollar per one
kilogram last year to 75 cents.

The government expects this year’s wheat output to grow to least
217,000 metric tons, up from 183,000 reported by the ministry last
year. The growth is largely due to favorable climatic conditions and
a contribution from more than 1,000 tons of high-quality grain seeds
that were imported by the Armenian government from Russia last fall.

They were distributed to about 150 farmers as part of a plan to
gradually raise domestic wheat production to 350,000 tons by 2014.

According to government statistics, Armenia consumes an estimated
650,000 tons of wheat each year.

From: A. Papazian

POTATO PRICE TO GO UP

02:52 pm | Today | Social

Farmers in Azatan village are sure that the potato price will go up
this year, even though they aren’t too discontent with the expected
harvest.

Potato harvest has already started in the fields of Shirak province,
and residents of Azatan village expect many crops.

Residents of Azatan say whereas last year the rise of potato prices
was linked to the lack of harvest, this year it is directly linked
to the high prices for seeds, fuel and pesticides.

They’re discontent with the imported potato seeds. For instanace,
sales of Iranian sees aren’t high. The loans for agriculture that
banks offer aren’t in their favor since those loans are offered at
an annual 15 percent interest rate.

From: A. Papazian

CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL LEADERS IN MIDDLE EAST CALL FOR PROTECTION AGAIN

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 22, 2011 – 16:07 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The development of the Arab spring are causing
concern to leaders of Eastern Christian communities, who have by
now started to openly express their fears with regard to an rise
in Islamic radicalism in the New Middle East, says a report in the
Assyrian International News Agency.

“The Arab Spring has created more Muslim militants,” the Chaldean
Archbishop in Kirkuk, Iraq, Louis Sako said, pointing out the risk of
the thousand year old Middle Eastern culture of pluralism, crumbling.

But the West too has made a mistake: “Instead of trying to impose
the western model of democracy, they need to invest in youngsters’
education,” Kirkuk’s Chaldean spiritual leader commented.

Archbishop Sako has, already, on several occasions, made lively appeals
to the International community, asking it to protect Christians in
Iraq who “risk extinction”. Indeed, “in Iraq, the number of Christians
continues to drop. They could disappear altogether as a result of
continuous persecution, threats and violence.” Between America’s
invasion of Iraq in 2003 and today, there have been attacks on about
sixty Churches; one bishop and three priests have been kidnapped and
killed; approximately a thousand innocent Christians have been killed
and hundreds of thousands forced to abandon their homes in search of
safety. This is why, “in Iraq and in other Countries, there is a risk
of the Christian community becoming extinct.”

What is worrying the prelate the most is “the lack of a plan”, when
Christians in Iraq and the Middle East have two options: “They can
either emigrate or accept life as second rate citizens amidst numerous
difficulties and fears.” Hence the appeal: “We are in need of stronger
support from everyone, with a clear political vision and clearly set
out plans, not just to protect and encourage Christians to stay in
their country, but also to promote reconciliation among the Iraqis, and
human rights,” as well as to “ensure governments respect the rules.”

According to Monsignor Sako, “the international community needs to
assume responsibility” and “come to a mutual agreement with local
authorities” in order to guarantee equal protection and equality
between all citizens. The international community must also “help
emigrants to return” or, if this is not possible, they should help
them remain settled wherever they have found shelter.

From: A. Papazian

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION CENTER LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE IN ARMENIA

Tert.am
22.09.11

The Freedom of Information Center, in collaboration with the OSCE
Office in Yerevan, the US Agency for International Development (AID)
and Hellix Consulting Group, has launched a new website in Armenia.

Introducing the new web resource available at Givemeinfo.am, Stephen
Brager, the head of USAID Democracy and Governance Office, said it
will enable citizens to follow the government bodies activities aimed
at the protection of their right to freedom of information.

The Center’s president, Shoushan Doyodoyan said the website will make
the application follow-up procedures more transparent. The head of
Hellix Consulting Group, Aram Mkhitaryan, added that the new internet
tool is linked to the social networking sites.

At the website’s presentation on Thursday, the results of the 2011
freedom of information monitoring were introduced.

From: A. Papazian

DELEGATION HEADED BY VACHE GABRIELYAN DEPARTS FOR WASHINGTON

ARMENPRESS
SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
YEREVAN

Delegation headed by the Minister of Finance Vache Gabrielyan
departed today for Washington to attend the regular sitting of the
Armenian-American inter-governmental commission as well as participate
in the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund.

The delegation comprises of Economy Minister Tigran Davtyan, Chairman
of the Central Bank Arthur Javadyan, Deputy Foreign Minister Arman
Kirakosyan, Deputy Finance Minister Vardan Aramyan and other officials.

Press service of the Finance Ministry reported that Vache Gabrielyan
is the manager of the IMF Republic of Armenia and the chairman of the
Armenian party of the Armenian-American inter-governmental commission.

Economy minister Tigran Davtyan is the manager of the World Bank
Republic of Armenia.

Within the framework of the visit the Armenian delegation will
meet with the representatives of the International Monetary Fund,
World Bank, Japanese International Cooperation Agency, International
Financial Corporation.

During the sitting of the Armenian-American inter-governmental
commission a number of issues on bilateral cooperation will be
discussed.

From: A. Papazian

ANALYST NO CHANGES EXPECTED IN THE KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT PROCESS

ARMENPRESS
SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
YEREVAN

No changes are expected in the Karabakh conflict settlement process
in the coming months, political analyst Stepan Grigoryan told a news
conference today.

He said the independence gave us an opportunity to defend Nagorno
Karabakh, though in global sense the issue is not yet solved.

Grigoryan said we must periodically show our military force because of
our geographic location. “If we were between Austria and Switzerland
there would have never been any need to show what we have”, he said.

“Let’s Azerbaijan see what we have and consider its further losses
in case of war”, Grigoryan said.

From: A. Papazian