Author: Andres-Papazian

Attempts of money collection prevented in some schools – Armen Ashotyan

13:29 – 02.04.11

Cases of money collection in schools in Armenia have significantly
decreased, Education Minister Armen Ashotyan has said.

Speaking to Tert.am, Ashotyan said that the ministry receives today
less alerts on such cases thanks to the efforts by the Yerevan
Municipality and the regional administrations.

`There are some schools where the money collected has been returned,’
said Ashotyan.

Asked if there is any control to prevent collection of money given the
period from March 8 and April 7 is deemed as a month of women and
therefore risky, Ashotyan said: `We had a meeting with the principals
of schools in Yerevan and strongly forbid to collect money.’

`Today we are responding to the calls on hot line more efficiently,
but we don’t have leverages to maintain control,’ he added.

Further, Ashotyan mentioned that it would be easier to fight that
phenomenon if those calling on the hot line come up with more specific
details on such cases.

Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

Police dismisses publication by Haykakan Zhamanak

13:01 – 02.04.11

The press office of Armenia’s police issued a statement on Saturday,
dismissing reports that claimed the salaries in the police have been
paid belatedly in the recent three months.

`No cases of belated payment of salaries have been occurred in the
police of RA [Republic of Armenia], not only during the recent three
months but during the recent three years,’ read the statement.

It comes after Armenian daily Haykakan Zhamanak published an article
on Saturday in which it said that low-rank police officers are
resentful as their salaries are being paid belatedly, while the police
has started what it called a `campaign,’ demanding those police
officers to write letters of resignation.

`Due to increased prices the police officers, much in the same way as
other private citizens, are unable to overcome their social problems.
Besides, during the recent three months they started to pay the
salaries of the police officers belatedly,’ read the article.

`On the other hand, the police officers are being forced to terrorize
citizens so that they don’t attend the demonstrations by the Armenian
National Congress,’ it added.

In the statement the police also said it could not see any logic
between the social problems mentioned in the article and the
`campaign’ of forcing police officers to resign.

`As what concerns the strange campaign of collecting resignation
letters, which is also made up, then it is only the `sources’ of the
paper that are aware of that logic,’ read the statement.

Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

3 Intellectuals preparing for hunger strike on Liberty Square

15:00 – 02.04.11

Three oppositionists are expected to start a hunger strike at 5pm on
Liberty Square in Yerevan, Secretary of the opposition party Heritage
has said.

Speaking to Tert.am, Larisa Alaverdyan said that it has called on
Armenian intellectuals to continue hunger strike held by party’s
leader Raffi Hovannisian from March 15-30.

`The first three will start the hunger strike at 5 pm on Liberty
Square,’ said Alaverdyan, adding that today’s hunger strike will be
organized by her, Professor Anahit Tonoyan, and probably by
ethnographer Hranush Kharatyan.

The move comes as a continuation of the hunger strike held by the
leader of the opposition Heritage Party.

She also said that they are not planning to announce the names of
those who have expressed willingness to continue the hunger strike on
other days.

Liberty Square has traditionally been used by opposition for
demonstrations and rallies and the venue bears some symbolic value.

Since the opening of the Liberty Square in spring last year the
Yerevan Municipality has repeatedly denied applications by the
opposition alliance Armenian National Congress to sanction it a rally
there.

Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

Planes from Stepanakert airport to fly in all directions

13:12 – 02.04.11

The Armenian side will take all appropriate measures to organize
flights to different countries from the newly constructed airport in
Stepanakert, the head of the Nagorno Karabakh Civil Aviation
Department has said.

“Some day in future our planes will fly to Paris, Moscow and many
other parts of the world, Dmitry Adbashyan told Tert.am.

He added in the meantime that ICAO’s current charter allows
Stepanakert planes to fly only to Yerevan.

The Stepanakert airport will be handed over to operation in May, 2011.
Adbashyan said that three 50-seat aircrafts will serve the flights.
The tickets will cost 16,000-18,000 drams (about $43-49).

Abashyan also added that Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) has specially
trained personnel to operate the airport.

“Specialists from Yerevan are training our young specialists. Our
first step was the opening of a training center,” he said.
The specialists trained in Stepanakert will also have additional
training courses at Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport.

Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

Radioactive particles from Fukushima can reach Armenia in minuscule
concentration

April 2, 2011 – 09:35 AMT 04:35 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

Radioactive cloud from Japan’s Fukushima hasn’t reached Armenia.

As the Chairman of the State Nuclear Safety Regulatory Commitее Ashot
Martirosyan told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, the radioactive cloud
passed over the Pacific Ocean, the U.S., Europe, currently getting
close to Turkey.

`Even if the particles of the radioactive cloud reach Armenia, they
will pose no danger to the people’s health and environmental safety.
Nor will the particles affect the radioactive background of the
country, their concentration being billion times below the norm,’ he
stressed, remarking that there are no reasons whatsoever for panic.

From: A. Papazian

Maria Mehranian appointed to California International Genocide Commission

April 2, 2011 – 09:50 AMT 04:50 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

California State Assembly Speaker John Perez appointed Maria
Mehranian, Managing Partner of Cordoba Corporation and a long-time
resident of La Cañada Flintridge to the California International
Genocide Commission.

The body was established by State Assembly Bill 1210 with the purpose
of constructing a memorial at Capitol Park in Sacramento for victims
and survivors who faced genocide and ethnic cleansing across the
world. The commission will seek to bring together a diverse group of
people and histories to accept historical facts from the Armenian
Genocide to the Holocaust to the Cambodian Genocide and as recent as
the slaughters in Darfur.

Maria Mehranian accepted the appointment as part of her continued
efforts in furthering causes of deep importance to the greater
Armenian-American community. As past chairman of the largest
pan-Armenia charity organization, the Armenia Fund, Mehranian is a key
community leader with excellent outreach skills and a sphere of
influence. In addition, her deep experience in fundraising for various
causes brings valuable resources to the newly established commission.
>From a professional standpoint, Mehranian will draw upon her
understanding and experience of state projects and strict mandates.
This brings a valuable addition to the process of successfully
completing a public project in light of today’s challenges.

Cordoba Corporation is a civil engineering, construction management,
program management, and planning firm specializing in education,
transportation, and water. The firm delivers solutions to complex
environmental and engineering challenges by applying proven
engineering and management expertise from project conception to
completion.

Mehranian’s commitment to the Armenia-American community coincides
with Cordoba’s message of making a difference. She serves on the Los
Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, appointed by past
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Asbarez reported.

From: A. Papazian

Argentine judge rules that Turkey committed Genocide against Armenians

April 2, 2011 – 11:20 AMT 06:20 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

An Argentine judge has ruled that `the Turkish state committed the
crime of genocide against the Armenian people’ between 1915 and 1923.

The ruling also says Turkey should help an Armenian descendant living
in Argentina learn the fate of more than 50 of his relatives who
disappeared nearly a century ago.

The Turkish Embassy in Buenos Aires has not immediately responded to a
request for comment. Judge Norberto Oyarbide says his ruling is
`declarative’ only, with no value other than the truth, The Associated
Press reported.

From: A. Papazian

Pedro Muradian appointed to Argentina government panel

April 2, 2011 – 11:39 AMT 06:39 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

Argentine Armenian Pedro Muradian, the former director of Armenian
National Committee of South America, has been appointed to a
government panel on combating discrimination.

According to the Buenos Ayres-based Armenia newspaper, Argentine
Justice Minister stated that the appointment will help improve the
country’s legislation to better combat discrimination, as Muradian has
a career record in the UN committee on the elimination of racial
discrimination.

Muradian, for his part, expressed willingness to serve at the post.

From: A. Papazian

Kammerton program head honored with RA Culture Ministry Gold Medal

April 2, 2011 – 11:43 AMT 06:43 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

Lyudmila von Berg, the head of Kammerton program launched to assist
talented musicians and the president of EuroCon, a German nonprofit
organization aiming to facilitate economic, cultural, scientific, and
humanitarian collaboration between Europe and the countries of the
former Soviet Union, was honored with a Gold Medal of the Armenian
Ministry of Culture for her personal contribution to cultural
education and support to Armenian talented youth abroad.

From: A. Papazian

Spring draft starts in Artsakh

April 2, 2011 – 11:47 AMT 06:47 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan signed Saturday, April
2, a decree on the 2011 spring draft and demobilization of servicemen,
reported the Central Information Department of the Office of the
Artsakh Republic President.

From: A. Papazian