Author: Andres-Papazian

TRAINING OF RUSSIAN SNIPERS STARTS IN ARMENIA

Thursday 4 December 2014 10:00

Yerevan/Mediamax/. The individual training of the rifle unit of
snipers has started at Kahmud educational-training complex of the
Russian base in Armenia.

Over 100 servicemen will complete the special course on
tactical-special and fire preparation, the press-service of the
Russian base reported.

The enhancement of learning skills in winter conditions of mountainous
and forested terrain is the distinctive feature of these field
exercises.

From: A. Papazian

FRANCE’S S.D. HUNCHAKIAN PARTY CELEBRATED 127TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE S.D.H.P.

By MassisPost
Updated: December 1, 2014

FRANCE- The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party “Nazaret Bshdikian”
branch in France, marked the 127th anniversary of the Social Democrat
Hunchakian Party on November 30, 2014 in Alfortville.

The event featured lectures on the S.D.H.P., as well as poetry
recitations and performances of nationalistic and folk music by
renowned Lebanese Armenian singer, Berdj Naccashian.

Armenia’s S.D.H.P. Executive Committee Chairman, Mr. Narek Galstyan
delivered a speech reflecting on Armenia’s present day political life,
the adopted political positions of the S.D.H.P., and relations with
Armenia’s current ruling authorities and other opposition parties.

Galstyan observed systemic changes are needed in present day
Armenia and expressed how the current government or its Parliamentary
opposition cannot implement those changes, since they are responsible
and continue to play a substantial role in day to day shortcomings
Armenia’s political and socioeconomic life.

The SDHP Armenia Chairman added Armenia’s political class possesses no
ideology, and as such, Armenia is in need of an ideological opposition,
with thorough policies which the S.D.H.P has adopted.

From: A. Papazian

YEREVAN TO CONTINUE EFFORTS ON PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT – FOREIGN MINISTRY

YEREVAN, December 4. /ARKA/. Yerevan will continue its efforts with
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to achieve a settlement of Karabakh
conflict exclusively by peaceful means, Armenia’s minister of foreign
affairs Edward Nalbandyan said at his meeting with the mediators
in Switzerland.

The meeting with the Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov (Russia), James
Warlick (USA), Pierre Andrieu (France) and Personal Representative
to OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andjey Kasprshik took place in Basel
on Thursday.

The sides discussed further advancement of the Karabakh peace process,
the press office of Armenia’s foreign ministry reports.

Nalbandyan noted that Azerbaijan has escalated its military rhetoric
on a high level over the last weeks and is making statements that
distort the content of the talks, along with gross violations of the
ceasefire on the contact line with Armenia and with Artsakh that lead
to casualties.

On November 12, Azerbaijani troops shot down a MI-24 Karabakh
helicopter that was carrying out a training flight near the line of
contact. Following Azerbaijan’s refusal to allow access to the site
for recovering the bodies of the three killed pilots, Karabakh Army of
Defense resorted to a special operation and recovered the body of one
and remains of the two other pilots from the crash site on November 22.

The Karabakh conflict started in 1988 when prevailingly Armenian
population of Nagorno-Karabakh declared withdrawal from Azerbaijan. In
a referendum on December 10, 1991, 99.89% of Nagorno-Karabakh
population voted for independence from Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan responded by large-scale military operations that led
to loss of control not only over Nagorno-Karabakh itself, but also
over seven adjoining areas. About 25-30 thousand people were killed
and about a million had to leave their homes during the military
operations.

A trilateral cease-fire agreement was signed on May 12, 2004, and has
been followed since then. The ongoing Karabakh peace process started
in 1992 under auspices of OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the USA,
Russia and France. -0–

From: A. Papazian

LIVE ON EURONEWS: CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE 2ND ARAM KHACHATURIAN INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

12:39, 04 Dec 2014

The Closing Ceremony of the 2nd Aram Khachaturian International
Festival will air live on Euronews at 4 p.m. CET today.

The ceremony will be dedicated to the 135th anniversary of Aram
Manukian, the founder of the First Republic of Armenia and held at
the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall.

Headed by artistic director and Principal Conductor Sergey Smbatyan,
the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia will perform jointly with
the National State Academic Choir of Armenia and the world-renowned
musicians Mayu Kishima (violin/Japan) the winner of the International
Henryk Wieniawski violin competition and Grammy award-winner Maria
Domashenko (mezzo-soprano/Russia).

The Khachaturian International Festival was first held in 2013 on
the initiative of the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia (the official
orchestra of the Aram Khachaturian International Competition) and
with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia.

The Festival has attracted top musicians from all over the world
including Vladimir Spivakov, Zakhar Bron, Alexander Romanovsky,
Ning Feng and Sergey Khachatryan.

From: A. Papazian

LA DEPRECIATION DU DRAM N’AURA PAS D’INCIDENCE SUR LE PAIEMENT DE LA DETTE EXTERIEURE DE L’ARMENIE SELON UN OFFICIEL

ARMENIE

La depreciation du dram armenien ne genera pas le paiement par
l’Armenie de sa dette exterieure a declare le vice-ministre des
Finances Pavel Safarian cite par News.am .

Conformement a la legislation, dans les modèles de recettes et de
depenses budgetaires la monnaie etrangère est convertie en drams au
taux prevu dans le budget.

“Le projet de budget 2015 sera soumis au Parlement au debut de
Decembre, donc dans le budget le taux sera precisee a la date du 1er
Novembre [soit 411,2 drams pour 1 USD],” a-t-il dit.

Le taux moyen du dollar americain en Armenie etait de 435 drams ppour
un dollar lundi soir, alors que la devise americaine pouvait etre
achete a environ 415 a 420 drams seulement quelques jours avant.

mercredi 3 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

DAILY EXPRESS: LIVERPOOL COULD SIGN FORMER TARGET HENRIKH MKHITARYAN

13:29, 03 Dec 2014

The Express claims Liverpool could make a move for former target
Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Brendan Rodgers attempted to land the playmaker from Shakhtar Donetsk
in the summer of 2013, but was beaten to his signature by Klopp after
the Germans submitted a bid of £24million.

Mkhitaryan shone in his first season at the Signal Iduna Park, scoring
13 goals in 45 games as Klopp’s side finished second in the Bundesliga
to a star-studded Bayern Munich squad.

From: A. Papazian

THERE WAS AND THERE WAS NOT: A JOURNEY THROUGH HATE AND POSSIBILITY IN TURKEY, ARMENIA, AND BEYOND

Library Journal Reviews
December 1, 2014

review by Erin Shea

Toumani, Meline. There Was and There Was Not: A Journey Through Hate
and Possibility in Turkey, Armenia, and Beyond. Metropolitan: Holt.

2014. 304p. ISBN 9780805097627. $28; ebk. ISBN 9780805097634. MEMOIR

Born in Iran and ethnically Armenian, Toumani (former journalism fellow
at the Inst. for Human Sciences, Vienna, Austria; former coordinator
of the Russian-American Journalism Inst. in Rostov-on-Don, Russia)
grew up in a diaspora in New Jersey where the 1915 Armenian genocide at
the hands of the Ottoman government came up daily in conversation. Her
neighbors boycott Turkish products, refuse to patronize businesses
owned by Turks, and constantly talk about the genocide to anyone who
will listen. So when the author leaves her job at the New York Times
and moves to Istanbul to confront and understand her historic enemy,
she is forced to explore complex questions of ethnic identity and how
to memorialize a tragedy without letting it consume her. She loosens
the shackles of her past by immersing herself in the culture of her
sworn enemy, a lesson many readers will relate to. VERDICT This brave
and balanced personal narrative will be a welcome addition to the
canon of books written about the century of hatred between Turks and
Armenians. [See Prepub Alert, 6/2/14.]–Erin Shea, Darien Lib., CT

From: A. Papazian

POPE VISITS ARMENIAN PATRIARCH BEFORE DEPARTURE

Cihan News Agency (CNA), Turkey
November 30, 2014 Sunday

ISTANBUL (CÄ°HAN)- Ahead of his departure, spiritual leader of world
Catholics Pope Francesco visited Armenian Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan
at the Surp Pirgic hospital in Istanbul where he is being treated.

Pope Francesco’s last destination in Istanbul was Armenian Surp Pirgic
hospital. Pope visited here Mesrob Mutafyan, Armenian Patriarch and
spiritual leader of Armenians in Turkey.

From: A. Papazian

147 MILLIONS DE DRAMS ALLOUES A LA REHABILITATION DES BOTIMENTS TOUCHES PAR LES CATASTROPHES DANS LE NORD-EST DE L’ARMENIE

ARMENIE

Le gouvernement a alloue 147 millions de drams pour reconstruire
les bâtiments endommages par des catastrophes naturelles dans les
provinces du Tavush et de Gegharkunik en Armenie a declare le ministre
de l’Administration territoriale Armen Gevorgyan.

Une tempete a endommage plusieurs dizaines de bâtiments dans les
communautes frontalières du Tavush et de Gegharkunik en Juin.

Les instructions respectives en matière de rehabilitation ont ete
donnees lors de visites du president dans la region plus tôt a dit
le ministre.

Les communautes touchees par les catastrophes sont Paravakar,
Chinari et Aygedzor dans la province du Tavush et deux communautes
de Gegharkunik.

mercredi 3 decembre 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

PUTIN MOVES IN TREATY ON ARMENIA TO JOIN EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION FOR RATIFICATION

ITAR-TASS, Russia
December 2, 2014 Tuesday 03:13 PM GMT+4

MOSCOW December 2.

Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday has moved in a treaty on
Armenia to join the Eurasian Economic Union for ratification in
Russia’s parliament lower house State Duma. The document was placed
in the electronic database of the lower house on Tuesday

The treaty on Armenia to enter the Eurasian Economic Union was signed
at a session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Belarusian
capital Minsk on October 10.

The accord is a basic document substantiating agreements between
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan on the terms of Armenia’s accession to
the union and seeking to lay a legal basis for the union’s functioning.

From: A. Papazian