BODY FOUND IN HRAZDAN GORGE IN YEREVAN
ArmInfo
2010-10-21 14:04:00
ArmInfo. A body has been found in Hrazdan gorge in Yerevan.
As Armenian Police reports, the body of Yerevan resident Norayr
Markosyan, born in 1985, was found on October 20 at about 12:42 PM
under Davidashen bridge. No possible circumstances of Markosyan’s
death are reported.
From: A. Papazian
A GROUP OF MASTERS FROM WESTERN AZERBAIJAN OF IRAN TO VISIT ARMENIA
ArmInfo
2010-10-21 14:05:00
ArmInfo. APA. A group of masters from Western Azerbaijan will take part
in Iran’s I handicraft and tourism exhibition to be held in Armenia,
said press secretary of Cultural heritage and tourism department
of Western Azerbaijan province of Iran Mahammad Ebduli, APA reports
citing Fars news agency.
He noted that two corners would be given to masters of handicraft and
tourism department of Western Azerbaijan at the exhibition. Musical
instrument made of wood, as well as tourism spheres will be
demonstrated there.
Ebduli added that Iran’s famous master Hushang Ekberi had been invited
to this exhibition as well.
From: A. Papazian
HIGHFEST PARTICIPANT OFFENDED BY CHAMBER THEATRE ACTORS
ArmInfo
2010-10-21 16:20:00
ArmInfo. HighFest participant Vlad Demchenko has been offended by
the Chamber Theatre actors
Demchenko told ArmInfo correspondent that his indignation was caused
by the behavior of the actors, who left the hall for the several
times to speak over the mobile phone during his mono-performance
“Enchanted by Death”.
“If they write SMS messages during your performance, how would you
like it? I understand that it is a kind of demarche, but after all
they are my colleagues”,- he said.
“At the beginning it strongly upset me. But the audience stood up
after the performance, and this is the best assessment of my work”,-
said Demchenko.
According to HighFest President Artur Ghukasyan, it is Vlad Demchenko’s
mono-performance that made an unexpected mega-effect in Yerevan.
From: A. Papazian
NATIONAL PLAN TO FIGHT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN TO BE ADOPTED IN ARMENIA
ArmInfo
2010-10-21 16:20:00
ArmInfo. A National Plan to fight violence against women will be
adopted in Armenia.
President of Women’s Rights Center NGO Susanna Vardanyan told Arminfo
correspondent that the draft National Plan was worked out by the
working group of the Interdepartmental Commission to Fight Violence
Against Women. She said that the National Plan envisages opening of
shelters for the victims of violence, consultation centers, as well
as raising public awareness and holding working trainings for the
specialists of this sphere. “I think the Plan will be adopted. By
the way, it stresses the necessity of adopting a law on domestic
violence”,- she said.
According to the report of Amnesty International, over 25% of Armenian
women underwent physical violence by their husbands or other relatives
once at least. The problem is that Armenian women are shy or afraid
to apply to law-enforcing bodies for help. In addition, there are a
lot of cases when the close relatives themselves ask women “to wash
dirty linen at home” and endure the bodily blows of “the breadwinner”.
Foreign experts say that it is necessary to create in Armenia all
the necessary conditions to ensure protection of the violence victims.
Such measures should include access to consultation about civil and
criminal law, as well as to social and medical services.
From: A. Papazian
COLLEGE FOR ECOLOGICAL STUDIES TO BE OPENED IN ARMENIA
ArmInfo
2010-10-21 17:22:00
ArmInfo. A College for Ecological Studies will be opened in Armenia.
The press service of the Foundation for the Preservation of
Wildlife and Cultural Assets reports that the college will retrain
representatives of the government, business, mass media, international
and public organizations on economics, mass media and environment.
The project will be carried out with the support of VivaCell-MTS.
From: A. Papazian
PAN-ARMENIAN PAINTING DAY TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON OCTOBER 24
ArmInfo
2010-10-21 17:23:00
ArmInfo. Pan-Armenian Painting Day will be held in Yerevan on October
24. The press service of the Foundation for the Preservation of
Wildlife and Cultural Assets in the Republic of Armenia (FPWC) told
ArmInfo that young representatives from Armenian Diaspora will take
part in the event for the first time. The young talented people will
paint drawings on four topics: my dream town, SOS, the nature of my
motherland, the dream zoo. The results of the contest will be summed
up in November, and the winners will be awarded in December.
Pan-Armenian Painting Day will be held with the support of VivaCell-MTS
mobile operator.
From: A. Papazian
VARIEGATED INTERESTS OF MEDIATOR-STATES IMPEDE RESOLUTION TO KARABAKH CONFLICT
By Ashot Safaryan
ArmInfo
2010-10-20 14:15:00
ArmInfo~Rs interview with Leader of Ramkavar Azatakan Party of Armenia
Haroutyun Arakelyan
Mr. Arakelyan, what do you think of the current situation around
the Karabakh conflict in the context of the OSCE MG Field Assessment
Mission?
The OSCE Minsk Group Field Assessment Mission, the key purpose of
which was to discover availability of the communications and if
the territories around Nagorny Karabakh were inhabited, promises
nothing good to Yerevan. Moreover, taking into consideration that
representatives of the Armenian Foreign Ministry fell into the habit
of making for their own citizens surprises born as a result of the
“night diplomacy”, the mission of the mediators may lead to another
surprise, this time regarding the Nagorny Karabakh conflict. Although
today we do not have any politician able to cede any territory with
a help of his signature, the external ring around Armenia and the
NKR is unfortunately tightening day by day.
Did the countries have any levers to prevent the given mission?
To find out what are our levers in the negotiations process, we must
Determine, first of all, who represents the Armenian party – Yerevan
or Stepanakert. After the actors are determined, they will have to
develop an exact strategy applicable to the negotiation process for
resolution to the conflict. There is no national program as such in the
issue of Nagorny Karabakh, and the political forces in the country,
including the national parties, cannot take any position. We say
that Nagorny Karabakh is an independent state with its Constitution,
authorities, at the same time we declare that the NKR has united
with Armenia. There are two contradictory methods of settling the
problems. It is necessary to develop an exact formula of actions and
specify the status of Yerevan as the mediator or the acting party. All
these issues need regulation. International structures take advantage
of this uncertainty and get involved in the peace process and assert
their egoistic interests. It was dependence on foreign methods that
ousted Nagorny Karabakh from the negotiations.
What settlement-scheme does your party suggest?
Our party has repeatedly suggested the authorities to apply to
the International Court for recognition of Azerbaijan’s atrocities
with regards to the Armenian population in Baku, Sumgait and other
populated areas as Genocide. Article 33 of the UN Charter says that
even if Armenia is involved in the settlement process, the dispute
between the states must be settled through the International Court.
The logic of this viewpoint is clear enough: the massacre wave reached
Nagorny Karabakh where the population managed to defend themselves
and liberate their lands from the aggressor.
I am sure that telling these realities to the world we will prove
the genocide making nature of Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, official
Yerevan neglects this dimension and Baku took advantage of that and
now actively forces the myth about “Genocide in Khojalu’ on the world.
Actually, our omissions have turned us, the victims of genocide,
into aggressors.
Iran regularly expresses readiness to mediate in the Karabakh peace
process. Is Iran able to do that? And will the OSCE MG co-chair-states,
particularly, the USA, allow that?
The West will not let Iran to mediate in the Karabakh process.
Undoubtedly, Iran has numerous pre-conditions for such mission –
the common border with both parties to the conflict, the Armenian
community as well as the fact that the so-called Iranian Azerbaijanis
are a big part of the population. It seems to me that Teheran will
be able to bring something positive to the settlement process. But at
present such prospect is misty as the OSCE MG comprises the countries
that have been openly moving their interests forward and are unlikely
to put up with a new mediator in the mission. Variegated interests of
the mediators lead to the vicious circle in which the region has been
staying for more than 20 years. The authorities of both conflicting
countries do not have enough political will to find the way out from
the situation. Moreover, the Karabakh conflict has become a trump
card that they use to realize their own political ambitions.
Considering Moscow~Rs intensive efforts in the process and that the
problem is still not solved, one may get an impression that Russia
is not interested in the resolution to the conflict.
If one looks back at the peace process, he will see that at different
stages the mediators had different interests. In fact, they have never
been unanimous on this problem. Let’s not forget that Turkey is also
a Minsk Group member and even though it is not a co-chair, it has an
active role in the regional processes. So, one should not expect any
serious progress in the MG’s work. The recent Azeri provocations on
the contact line are the best proof of it.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry has recently refuted reports on secret
negotiations between Yerevan and Ankara. Earlier, President of Turkey
declared about ~Ssilent but decisive diplomacy.~T What do you think
about all this?
I would like to believe the Armenian foreign minister, who denies the
rumors about the negotiations, but the “night diplomacy” experience,
its bitter results, give me no grounds for that. If initially the
talks were held in Armenia-Turkey-Switzerland format, and the latter
two started saying today that the talks have really been resumed, it
is senseless casting doubt on it. However, the Armenian party is the
only to observe “virtue”. And the ~Sovertalkativeness” of Switzerland
and Ankara demonstrates that our foreign ministry is ignored.
From: A. Papazian
ARMENIAN FM NEITHER CONFIRMS NOT DENIES POSSIBILITY OF MEETING OF ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTERS WITHIN FRAMES OF CE MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE
ArmInfo
2010-10-21 13:58:00
ArmInfo. Foreign Ministry of Armenia neither confirms nor denies the
possibility of meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers
in November.
“We inform of the meetings of ministers at the proper time”, Armenian
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tigran Balayan said when asked by
ArmInfo about a possibility of meeting of Edward Nalbandyan and Elmar
Mammadyarov within the frames of CE Ministerial Committee meeting on
November 10 in Strasbourg.
To recall, the next visit of OSCE MG cochairmen to the region of
Nagorno Karabakh conflict is scheduled in early November.
From: A. Papazian
DEFENCE MINISTRY OF AZERBAIJAN TRIES TO ‘SHAFT’ BIG JAPANESE COMPANY
ArmInfo
2010-10-21 14:02:00
ArmInfo. Defence Ministry of Azerbaijan was trying to “shaft” a big
Japanese company Pioneer.
As APA reported, the First Baku Local Economic Court held final
hearing on the case of Japanese Pioneer Corporation against the
Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan.
The court sustained the company’s case against the ministry.The
Japanese company reached an agreement with the ministry to supply
it with electronics, but after finalizing the deal commitments the
company made a debt claim against the Defense Ministry. It claimed
that the ministry run into more than AZN 100 000 debts.
From: A. Papazian
ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER HOPES THE PROBLEM AROUND IRANIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAMME WILL BE RESOLVED VIA TALKS
ArmInfo
2010-10-21 14:03:00
Arminfo. Armenia and Iran have mutually beneficial relations and we
intend to develop them, Foreign minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandyan
said when replying to the question of mass media if Armenia is going
to join the sanctions towards Iran.
‘We have dynamically developing relations with Iran, good economic
cooperation. Various joint programmes in the sphere of energy
and transport have been fulfilled or are underway. We have active
contacts, exchange visits. I have recently visited Iran. At present
we are preparing Armenian premier’s visit to Iran. Iranian Mejlis
speaker Ali Larijani has recently visited Yerevan’, – Nalbandyan said.
As for the sanctions, the minister said of course the decisions made
by UN Security Council should be respected by all the UN member-states
as UN Regulations requires.
‘We think that one can find decision by means of the force methods ot
sanctions. But we hope the decision on the Iranian nuclear programme
will be made through the talks thanks to the joint efforts of Iran
and the world community’, – Edward Nalbandyan said.
From: A. Papazian