Author: Andres-Papazian

news.am, Armenia
July 23 2011

Yerevan district heads got new cars

July 23, 2011 | 12:05

YEREVAN. – Mayor of Yerevan granted the heads of the city districts
with new cars, which are not donations but set by the budget.

`If something is confirmed by the budget and passed by the community
session, it cannot be considered a donation,’ press secretary of the
city hall Shushan Sardaryan told Armenian News-NEWS.am but did not
mention who got the vehicles.

Earlier Armenian News-NEWS.am informed based on media that Yerevan
Mayor bought five Hyundai Sonata vehicles, each in the ammount of AMD
13,200,000 from the car store, which belongs to Prosperous Armenia
Party leader, MP Gagik Tsarukyan. The vehicles were granted to the
heads of Arabkir, Shengavit, Erebuni and two other districts.

The press secretary also told that sessions of the city council are
open and the decisions are made publically.

From: A. Papazian

news.am, Armenia
July 23 2011

Association of Armenian and Turkish travel agencies established in Yerevan

July 22, 2011 | 18:20

YEREVAN. – Memorandum was signed to establish an association of
Armenian-Turkish travel agencies during Armenian-Turkish business
forum held on Friday in Yerevan.

The association aims to coordinate the activity of Armenian-Turkish
travel agencies and to promote mutual and international tourism. The
forum aims to develop economical relations between the two states,
president of Armenian Businessmen Union Arsen Ghazaryan told.

27 businessmen, NGO representatives from Van were invited to
participate in the forum. Armenian businessmen will visit Van in fall.

From: A. Papazian

news.am, Armenia
July 22 2011

Armenian Church has no money for monastery reconstruction but buys
expensive cars

July 22, 2011 | 13:23

YEREVAN. – Center of Armenian Apostolic Church, Holy See of
Etchmiazdin spent no money on buying seven luxury Toyota vehicles.
They were gifted to the church, press secretary of Armenian
Catholicos, priest Vahram Melikyan told at a press conference on
Friday.

Media wrote that Etchmiazdin obtained seven vehicles for $309,000.
However, the press secretary told that philanthropist Samvel
Karapetyan donated six vehicles and one is a donation from another
patron.

According to media, Holy See of Echmiadzin bought seven vehicles in
the amount of $309,000. It is noteworthy that all the vehicles are
exempt from VAT.

Earlier Melikyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that the church has no
money to reconstruct the monastery of Sanahin, and the reconstruction
depends on philanthropists.

If the Holy See of Etchmiazdin has no money for the reconstruction of
ancient churches and it needs assistance from philanthropist, then why
does it accept the expensive vehicles as if a gift? It is suspicious,
that Etchmiazdin does not ask the philanthropists to direct money to
the reconstruction projects.

From: A. Papazian

news.am, Armenia
July 22 2011

60,000 people leave Armenia to work abroad – PM

July 22, 2011 | 19:18

YEREVAN. – Studies show that 60,000 people leave for work abroad on
annual basis, Armenian PM Tigran Sargsyan told at a meeting with
intellectuals in Oshakan on Friday.

The number of those who leave for work has not increased but restored
compared to 2008. The number of workers decreased sharply in 2009 as a
result of economic crisis. However, the number restored as a result of
the economic improvement in Russia.

`The number of Armenians living in the state is 3 million, while it is
twice more abroad. There are two basic reasons for Armenians to leave
abroad. First, Armenians are mobile people. The other reason of the
migration is insufficient job places in the country,’ Armenian PM
stated.

According to Sargsyan, the highest number of annual negative migration
was 200,000 in 1991-1995, based on social-economical situation.
However, as macro-economical stability was set, 50,000-60,000 people
left the state during 1996-97. 2004-2006 registered positive
migration. 2007 again registered negative migration with 4,000-5,000
people leaving the state. In 2010 the government adopted strategy of
migration policy to eliminate negative migration.

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Watch our latest videos on YouTube here:

“THE ARMENIANS IN SYRIA ARE WITH THE PEOPLE AND REFORMS”
Said His Holiness Aram I

On Wednesday 20 July 2011, His Holiness Aram I had a working meeting with
the Armenian Prelate of Syria, Bishop Shahan Sarkissian, and the
representatives of the Church Council.

The Prelate and his delegation briefed the Catholicos and said that they
were monitoring the situation. At the end of the meeting, His Holiness said,
“We are grateful to our Syrian brothers and sisters who welcomed the
survivors of the Genocide to their country. They not only fed us; they
considered us as their fellow citizens with equal rights, and our people
mobilized their human resources for the development of their new homeland.
With this feeling of gratitude, our community in Syria should support the
Syrian people and the upcoming reforms.”

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

From: A. Papazian

ARONIAN TO RIVAL INDIA’S HARIKRISHNA PENTALA IN WORLD TEAM CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 6TH ROUND

PanARMENIAN.Net
July 23, 2011 – 11:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On July 23, current leader of World Team Chess
Championship, Armenia will rival India (8th place), in the 6th round
of the championship.

The pairings are as follows: Levon Aronian – Harikrishna Pentala,
Sergei Movsesian – Sasikiran Krishnan, Vladimir Akopian- Ganguly
Surya Shekhar, Gabriel Sargissian – Negi Parimarjan.

In other pairings, Russian team will face Ukraine, Israel will rival
Azerbaijan, U.S. will play against Hungary, Egypt will face China.

Armenian team is leading the championship with 13,5 points, followed
by Russia and Hungary (12 and 11,5 points respectively).

From: A. Papazian

CHORRORD INQNISHKHANUTYUN: LET’S WAIT FOR THE ARREST OF SOME ‘BIGGER FISH’

Tert.am
23.07.11

The paper claims that Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan had said
after the official part of a meeting in April dedicated to legal and
juridical reforms that in order to make an imitation of those reforms
some high-ranking officials in the judiciary will be fired or arrested.

The paper comments that judging from the recent developments it can
be said that the process has already started.

Further, it says that recently a high-ranking police officer at
investigations department was arrested, while on July 13 Police Chief
Alik Sargsyan issued a decree to fire Colonel Yegor Antonyan, the
head of the department of criminal investigation in Yerevan’s Police.

Also it reminds that recently a criminal case was filed against Levik
Poghosyan, the judge of the Court of First Instance in Vayots Dzor
and Ararat provinces. Poghosyan is accused of falsifications and
abuse of official power.

Further, the paper claims that Aghvan Hovsepyan, Armenia’s Prosecutor
General – citing a criminal case filed against Gurgen Martirosyan,
the Mayor of Gavar town – recently asked Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
to discuss whether Martirosyan should continue his office as mayor.

The paper goes on to comment that these are perhaps the most fresh
examples indicative of the start of the imitation of reforms and that
some “bigger fish” should be expected to be arrested.

From: A. Papazian

DEUX TURCS, MEMBRES PRESUMES DU PKK, ARRETES EN ALLEMAGNE
Stephane

armenews.com
samedi 23 juillet 2011

Deux Turcs, soupconnes d’appartenir a l’organisation separatiste
kurde PKK, ont ete arretes en Allemagne, a annonce mardi le Parquet
general allemand.

Mehmet A., 28 ans, a ete interpelle lundi a Fribourg-en-Brisgau
(sud-ouest) tandis que Ridvan O, 28 ans, a ete arrete a l’aeroport
de Dusseldorf (ouest).

Ce dernier est soupconne d’avoir dirige depuis mars 2010 l’organisation
de jeunesse du PKK (“Komalen Ciwan”) en Allemagne.

Mehmet A. serait quant a lui un cadre important de l’organisation
de jeunesse en Allemagne et en France depuis janvier 2010, selon le
communique du Parquet federal de Karlsruhe (sud-ouest), competent
pour les affaires de terrorisme.

Les deux jeunes hommes sont soupconnes d’avoir recrute des jeunes pour
le PKK et finance des voyages de jeunes activistes en leur fournissant
des papiers.

Considere comme un mouvement terroriste par la Turquie, l’Union
europeenne (UE) et les Etats-Unis, le PKK a declenche en 1984 une
rebellion separatiste dans le sud-est de la Turquie, region pauvre
et sous-developpee, peuplee majoritairement de Kurdes. Selon l’armee
turque, ce conflit a fait plus de 45.000 morts.

From: A. Papazian

PACE RAPPORTEUR WELCOMES EVOLVING DIALOGUE IN ARMENIA

States News Service
July 21, 2011 Thursday

The following information was released by the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE):

At the end of a monitoring visit to Yerevan, the co-rapporteur
for Armenia of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE), Axel Fischer (Germany, EPP/CD), has welcomed the evolving
dialogue between the ruling coalition in the National Assembly and the
extra-parliamentary opposition party, the Armenian National Congress.

Speaking at the end of a three-day visit to the country (19-21 July),
Mr Fischer said he hoped this would go hand in hand with a similar
constructive dialogue between the ruling coalition and parliamentary
opposition in the National Assembly. I am very satisfied with the
start of this dialogue, a long-standing wish of the Assembly, which is
essential for the ongoing normalisation of the political environment
in Armenia. I call on all parties to display maximum flexibility and
good faith to make it a success.

Mr Fischer also stressed the importance of the forthcoming
parliamentary elections for the democratic development of the country.

The new election code provides a solid basis for democratic elections
but it must now be implemented in good faith, both in letter and
spirit, he said. Electoral stakeholders, especially the general public
in Armenia, must have full trust in the electoral process and its
outcome. I therefore call upon all parties to ensure the democratic
nature of the elections and to refrain from any actions or statements
that could undermine that trust.

During the visit, Mr Fischer also discussed the renewed investigation
into the 10 casualties of the March 2008 events, as well as the ongoing
reforms especially reform of the police and judiciary recommended by
the Assembly. The findings of this visit will contribute to the report
that Mr Fischer will prepare, together with the other co-rapporteur
John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC), for the Assemblys autumn session.

From: A. Papazian

RUSSIA CONTINUES TO BE RISKY STATE FOR ARMENIANS – ARMENIAN POLICE

news.am
July 22 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Russia continues to be a risky country for Armenians
regarding illegal organization of job market, head of Armenian
police department for fight against trafficking Tigran Petrosyan told
on Friday.

According to Petrosyan, not all cases of cancelation of the contract
are the result of the trafficking or exploitation. However, cases of
trafficking do exist.

There may be various types of irregularities. For example, there may
be cases when initial agreement of work is cancelled due to improper
registration issue or not giving the necessary salary. Police pays
great attention on elimination of illegal migration, he added.

From: A. Papazian