Author: Andres-Papazian

MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION COMPLETES PROGRAMS IN ARMENIA THIS SEPTEMBER

news.am
Sept 2 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Armenian program of the Millennium Challenge Corporation
of the U.S. government will be completed on September 29, Millennium
Challenge Account CEO Ara Hovsepyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

However, he did not rule out that the program, which has invested
over $177 million since 2006, will continue to implement projects
in Armenia.

The corporation made investments in the irrigation system of Armenia
during recent years. Over 350 village communities were involved.

The agreement signed between Armenia and the corporation provided
for investments amounting to $235 million. However, in March 2009
the Board of Directors of the corporation headed by Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton decided to suspend financing of rural roads
rehabilitation project.

From: A. Papazian

THERE ARE MANY DIGNIFIED PEOPLE IN ARMENIA

A1+.
05:01 pm | September 02, 2011

Politics

The 20-year-old independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was to be
fixed by diplomacy, economic development and formation of democratic
institutions, according to former deputy chairman of Yerkrapah Union
of Volunteers (EKM).

“This could record progress in the talks over the Karabakh conflict
and strengthen Karabakh’s position in the international arena,”
Myasnik Malkhasyan told A1+.

“The fact that the NKR yielded its place to Armenia in the talks has
weakened Karabakh’s position worldwide. I would like our authorities
to learn lessons from these mistakes and correct them in the future,”
he said.

Freedom fighter Ararat Asryan, Coordinator of “Fraternity of Freedom
Fighters” organization, says pro-government and opposition forces
have fully exhausted themselves both in Armenia and NKR.

“They should be replaced by new figures who have high morals, dignity
and faith. It is time to tear off the masks and unveil their true
colours,” he said.

Asryan thinks that NKR independence will not be protected as long as
it is turned into a matter of bargain by some Armenians.

“These are people who ascribe the Artsakh victory to themselves
but they have nothing to do with it. I mean Serzh Sargsyan and Bako
Sahakyan who think that the country’s leader should necessarily have
national mentality,” said the freedom fighter.

Another Karabakh war veteran, Vahan Ter-Ghazarian, is more optimistic
about Artsakh’s independence.

“Both Armenian and NKR authorities are attempting to maintain Artsakh’s
independence,” he said.

From: A. Papazian

NETANYAHU: ISRAEL HOPES TO MEND TIES WITH TURKEY, REFUSES TO APOLOGIZE

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 2, 2011 – 22:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – A senior source in Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s office stated that Israel will endeavor to mend frayed
ties with the Turkish government and people, but that it will not
apologize for the deaths of 9 Turkish activists, who it says were
only killed by IDF soldiers in self-defence.

The source said that Israel has adopted the United Nations report on
the 2010 Gaza Flotilla with the reservations that were presented by
the Israeli representative to the UN committee, Yoseph Tshachnover.

“The report is a professional, serious, and extensive document,” said
the senior source. “The flotilla was a blatant attempt to break through
the naval siege on Gaza. The Palmer Report ratifies the legality of
the naval siege and Israel’s right to enforce it.”

Turkey decided to downgrade its diplomatic ties with Israel to the
lowest possible level, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said
earlier on Friday, meaning that Israel’s ambassador in Ankara would
be expelled, following Israel’s continued refusal to apologize for
a 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

Additionally, Davutoglu announced the cancellation of all defense
contracts between Israel and Turkey, adding that Ankara would
initiaite legal action against the Gaza blockade in international
courts, Haaretz reported.

From: A. Papazian

CHILDREN OF ARMENIAN IRREGULAR IMMIGRANTS TO ATTEND COMMUNITY SCHOOLS IN TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 2, 2011 – 17:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Turkey’s Education Minister Omer Dincer had given his
permission to allow Armenian children residing in Turkey as irregular
immigrants to unofficially attend classes in Armenian schools in the
next school year, Today’s Zaman reported.

This comes shortly after Turkey announced it would return all property
confiscated from religious minority foundations and associations
during the early republican era. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
also approved the decision to let children from Armenia attend the
schools as guest students.

“The ministry has given the necessary permission and we are very
happy about this,” Deputy Patriarch AteÅ~_yan stated.

He said the Armenian community has been fighting to allow irregular
immigrants to attend Armenian schools for two years. According to
AteÅ~_yan, about 1,000 children from Armenia are living in Turkey
with their parents, who have come for work but have no papers.

In another development, the International Russian School in Antalya,
which follows the Russian Federation’s education curriculum, started
its school year on Sept. 1, when schools open in Russia. There are
70 Russian students in the school’s elementary section. The school’s
principal, Victor Bikkenev, said the diplomas earned by the students
in the school are valid in Russia. Classes are conducted in Russian
at the school, which also offers Turkish, English and German classes.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN, IRANIAN AGRICULTURE MINISTERS TO SIGN MOU

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 2, 2011 – 16:37 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetyan will
visit Iran September 3-5 on the invitation of his Iranian counterpart
Sadegh Khalilian.

Signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries~R
ministries, discussion of further cooperation in agriculture sector,
specifically crop harming, cattle-breeding and plant growing,
are planned.

Also on Armenian Minister~Rs agenda are visits to agricultural and
research institutions, as well as Tabriz-based tractor works, with
investment opportunities in Armenia~Rs agriculture to be discussed
further, Armenian Agriculture Ministry~Rs press service reported.

From: A. Papazian

MP: ARMENIA STILL LACKS CLEAR-CUT AGENDA ON KARABAKH CONFLICT

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 2, 2011 – 14:52 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia still lacks a clear-cut agenda on the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict, according to Larisa Alaverdyan, Heritage
opposition party member.

As Alaverdyan stated at a press conference in Yerevan, she has twice
addressed the Armenian Foreign Ministry with the question “whether
there is a comprehensive agenda on Karabakh issue” and was told
“it’s is being worked out.”

“Due to absence of agenda, Armenian diplomats fail to properly
represent the Karabakh issue in international institutions,” the
MP said.

Edik Minasyan, History Faculty Dean at Yerevan State University, in
turn, also struck the necessity of developing a precise agenda. He
underlined that Armenia must bring up the issue of Azeri-occupied
Armenian territories.

Besides, he noted that engagement of Karabakh in the talks would
considerably facilitate the settlement process.

From: A. Papazian

INDEPENDENCE RESULTED IN OUR LOSING ARMENIA, COMMUNIST PARTY LEADER SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 2, 2011 – 13:17 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Leader of the Communist Party of Armenia believes
that after gaining independence in 1991 ~Swe lost Armenia.~T

As Ruben Tovmasyan told journalists on September 2, “Soviet Armenia
had developed industry, construction, art and intellectuals, which
was lost after acquiring independence.”

Commenting on the 20th anniversary of Nagorno Karabakh independence,
Tovmasyan congratulated the people and government of Artsakh reminding
that communists saw the start of the liberation battles of Nagorno
Karabakh.

From: A. Papazian

SUGAR PRICES RISE 0.2% IN ARMENIA OVER PAST MONTH

/ARKA/
September 2, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, September 2. /ARKA/. Sugar prices went 0.2% up in Armenia over
the past month, Gurgen Martirosyan, chief of the Armenian National
Statistical Service’s prices and international comparison division,
said on Thursday.

He said that sugar prices climbed 21.4% in August 2011, compared with
the same month a year earlier.

“The recent inflationary jumping has not been taken into account,
since the latest price study was conducted on the sugar market on
August 19 and 20, while sugar prices started going up only on August
23,” Martirosyan said.

He said inflation in the sugar market would impact September’s
indicators.

On September 23, sugar prices in Yerevan supermarkets leapt from 380
drams per one kilogram to 450 drams.

Importers explain this hike by price rises at world markets.

The Armenian State Commission for Protection of Economic Competition
demanded necessary information from Alex-Grig Company that dominates
sugar import market with 99.9%.

Martirosyan said sugar in neighboring Georgia converted into Armenian
national currency was sold at 469 drams per one kilogram yet in July.

Sugar prices in Russia rose 0.9%.

In the euro zone, sugar is included in the same group with jam and
confectionery. Sugar’s share in this group is biggest.

“Although prices for this group’s commodities were moving up and down
in European countries, average prices for them remained unchanged,”
Martirosyan said.

In particular, sugar prices went 2% up and then 1% down.

Sugar prices rose 2.9% in Hungary, 0.6% in Bulgaria, 0.4% in Germany,
0.4% in Greece, 0.1% in Denmark, 0.8% in Spain and 1.4% in Cyprus.

Monitoring of sugar prices is conducted in 9 to 12 trade outlets of
various sizes in Armenia. The monitoring will last ten days.

According to official statistical reports, 4.8% year-on-year inflation
was recorded in Armenia in August 2011.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN MINISTER OF EDUCATION DELIVERED CONGRATULATION MESSAGE ON EDUCATION DAY

Panorama
Sept 1 2011
Armenia

Armenian Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan delivered
a congratulatory message on September 1 and on the Day of Education.

“Dear pupils, students, teachers and representatives of education
field, I congratulate you on September 1, Day of Education.

Today the 20th education year of Independent Armenia kicks off,
which is a good chance to assess our achievements, to record gaps
and to walk forward.

I wish in this day of education our dreams come true in favor to our
families and our young state.”

From: A. Papazian

BAKU INSTRUCTS EMBASSY IN RUSSIA OVER PUBLICATION IN NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA

news.az
Sept 1 2011
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani MFA instructs embassy in Russia over publication in
‘Nezavisimaya qazeta’ newspaper.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry investigates information published
in Nezavisimaya newspaper, where the separatist regime of Nagorno
Karabakh is fixed as an independent state, 1news.az reports citing
the spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Elman Abdullayev.

“The Foreign Ministry has given an instruction to the Azerbaijani
embassy to Azerbaijan to bring the resentment of the Azerbaijani side
about the publication to the attention of the Nezavisimaya qazeta
publishing house”, Abdullayev said.

The newspaper has published the interview of the head of the separatist
regime in Nagorno Karabakh.

In the publication, the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are fixed
as ‘an independent state’ and their head as ‘a president’. Also,
it provides a false information.

From: A. Papazian