Author: Andres-Papazian

MEDVEDEV CALLS KYRGYZ CRISIS ‘INTOLERABLE,’ DEMANDS FIRM ACTION

RIA Novosti
MOSCOW
June 14, 2010

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that the situation
in Kyrgyzstan was unacceptable and called for firm action to halt
the interethnic violence that has killed more than 100 people.

“The situation in Kyrgyzstan is intolerable, people have been killed,
the bloodshed continues, riots along ethnic lines. This is extremely
dangerous for the region, and therefore everything must be done
to prevent these kinds of events – in accordance with the law, but
firmly,” the president said.

The government in Kyrgyzstan said on Monday that 124 people had died
in ethnic clashes that began in the southern city of Osh on Thursday
and have spread to the wider region. Tens of thousands of ethnic
Uzbeks have fled to neighboring Uzbekistan.

Speaking with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and
the secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization,
Nikolai Bordyuzha, at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, Medvedev added that
the heads of CSTO member states could hold an urgent meeting to
discuss the situation in Kyrgyzstan.

“If the situation gets worse, we do not exclude the likelihood of
another meeting of the secretaries of the security councils of the
CSTO member states, or even an urgent meeting of heads of CSTO member
states,” the president said.

The security chiefs of the countries in the post-Soviet security bloc
– Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan – met in Moscow on Monday.

Kyrgyzstan’s interim leader, Roza Otunbayeva, on Friday asked Medvedev
to send Russian troops to help restore order in the south of the
country, but so far Russia has only dispatched 150 paratroopers to
beef up security at its Kant airbase near the capital, Bishkek.

“Of course, we must help them cope with these problems,” Medvedev said,
noting that the security council secretaries had developed proposals
that CSTO heads of states would now review.

“We understand that it is a practical question,” he said. “If
everything happens regarding the restoration of order, we can restrict
ourselves to this.”

After the meeting, the CSTO said in a statement that the Kyrgyz
government had not done enough to stop the violence and urged it to
take all necessary steps to quickly restore order.

The Russia-dominated grouping said that the secretaries of members’
security councils “developed concrete proposals aimed at reducing
ethnic tensions” to present to CSTO presidents.

Medvedev said the fact that the CSTO had already met and discussed
a coordinated response was already a good sign for Kyrgyzstan and
the organization.

“In similar situations before we did this much slower,” the Russian
president said.

A source at the United Nations told RIA Novosti on Monday that the
Security Council would meet later in the day to discuss the situation
in Kyrgyzstan.

From: A. Papazian

UCI TO HOST TALK ON ARMENIAN MONASTIC ENSEMBLES OF IRAN

Asbarez
Friday, June 11th, 2010

IRVINE-The School of Humanities at the University of California,
Irvine will present a lecture by Dr. Ali Mousavi, Assistant Curator
of Ancient Iranian and Near Eastern Art Los Angeles County Museum of
Art entitled “The Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iranian Azerbaijan:
Rescue Operations and the World Heritage Nomination.”

The event is sponsored by the UC Irvine Armenian Studies and will take
place on Thursday, June 17. A 6:30 p.m. reception will be followed
by the lecture at 7 p.m.

The event will be held at Humanities Gateway 1030, University of
California, Irvine. Parking is available in the Mesa Parking Structure
for $6. For directions visit uci.edu/campusmaps.php

From: A. Papazian

CO-PAYMENT OF MEDICAL SERVICES BY PATIENTS WILL BRING MEDICINE OUT OF THE ‘SHADOW’

ArmInfo
2010-06-14 19:46:00

ArmInfo. The reformation of Armenia’s medical service system will
allow to bring medicine out of the “shadow,” Head of the State Health
Care Agency of the Health Care Ministry of Armenia Ara Ter-Grigoryan
said during a press-conference today.

Today, the shadow turnover in the medical sector is twice as big as
the total amount of payments for medical services.

To remind, June 13 the Government of Armenia decided to launch July
13 a pilot project to introduce at some hospitals a system stipulating
co-payment of medical services by patients.

This system stipulates partial involvement of patients in the payment
of the medical services they receive, more specifically, they will
have to pay the difference between the state cost of the services and
their real market price. The pilot project will be implemented for 6
months at Arabkir, Erebuni and Armenia medical centers and, in case
of success, the system will be applied in all medical institutions
of Armenia.

All tariffs will be coordinated by medical institutions and the
ministries of health care and finance. Obstetric services will remain
state-financed as their state pricing is equivalent to their real cost,
including the wages of doctors and the cost of necessary medicines. In
the last few years the budgetary financing of obstetrics has grown
from 2.5bln AMD to 7.1bln AMD. Disabled people of the first group,
WWII veterans, orphans and draftees will be treated free of charge.

The co-payment system will allow patients to plan their medical
expenses beforehand and to “stop guessing whom to pay and how much.”

The Health Care Ministry will closely control this field so as to
prevent bribery. The new program will be the first step towards
compulsory medical insurance in Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

‘HERITAGE’ PARTY TO REACH DISCUSSION OF DRAFT LAW ON NKR RECOGNITION IN THE ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT

ArmInfo
2010-06-14 15:49:00

ArmInfo. ‘Heritage’ party is going to reach discussion of draft law on
official recognition of the NKR over the second four-day autumn session
of the Armenian parliament, the head of the Heritage parliamentary
faction Stepan Safaryan said at the press-conference, Monday.

He also added that at present an alternative option of the draft law
on making alteration to the law ‘On television and radio’, drawn out
by their faction, is ready and will be involved in the agenda of the
session. ‘We have to work hard in summer. We are not going to have a
rest. We are also expecting for a wide public support over discussion
and adoption of the draft laws’, – Safaryan said.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN CULTURAL CENTER BECOMES WINNER OF KALININGRAD REGION’S STATE AWARD

NOYAN TAPAN
JUNE 14, 2010
KALININGRAD

KALININGRAD, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Expert commissions in Kaliningrad,
Russia finished their on work on selection of the winners on the
2010 State Awards of Kainingrad region in the categories “Eureka”,
“Creation”, “Participation”, and “Recognition”. The winners were
announced at the award-giving ceremony held at the Youth sport complex
on June 10.

The Armenian Spiritual and Cultural Center of Kaliningrad was
the winner in the category “Creation”. The heads of the Armenian
regional national and cultural autonomy received the State Award for
their active organizational efforts on construction of the Armenian
Spiritual and Cultural Center in Kaliningrad. Awards were handed
to Yuri Kadjoyan, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia
in Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Armenian
regional national and cultural autonomy, Felix Gevorgian, Chairman of
the Armenian regional national and cultural autonomy of Kaliningrad
region, and Boris Babayan, Deputy Head of the Public Directorate on
Construction of the Armenian Spiritual and Cultural Center.

The award was bestowed in the following categories: topicality and
significance for socioeconomic development of Kaliningrad region,
innovative nature, originality, elements of novelty, high-level
work implementation, and wide public recognition (the most important
category). The Armenian Spritual and Cultural Center of Kaliningrad
took first place in all these categories.

The mentioned center opened in November 2009. Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan attended the festive opening ceremony, during which
Governor of Kaliningrad region Georgy Boos expressed a hope that
“the Armenian house in Kaliningrad will serve not only Armenians,
but also the whole population of Kaliningrad region”.

The regional newspaper “Nairi” reports that since then the Armenian
Spiritual and Cultural Center has held a number of cultural events,
which have drawn a wide public response. Among such events were
the holiday of native language, the Armenian poetry evening, the
exhibitions featuring works of local painters Sargis Gogorian and
Vardan Virabian and the painter Gagik Parsamian from Gdansk, Poland,
the exhibitions of the female artist from Kaliningrad Miroslava
Kazantseva and the Netherlands-based Armenian painter Serob Darbinian,
the all-Russian chess tournament in memory of Anna Iodo, etc.

From: A. Papazian

SPECIAL SITTING OF SECRETARIES OF CSTO SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS SITUATION IN KYRGYZSTAN

NOYAN TAPAN
JUNE 14, 2010
MOSCOW

MOSCOW, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. By order of Russian President, Chairman
of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Dmitry Medvedev,
a special sitting of Secretaries of the CSTO Security Council was
convened on June 14. Secretary of Armenia’s National Security Council
Arthur Baghdasarian left for Moscow to participate in the sitting.

According to the press service of the RA NSC Secretary, at the request
of the head of Kyrgyzstan’s interim government Roza Otunbayeva,
the current situation in Kyrgyzstan will be discussed at the sitting.

From: A. Papazian

PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPING COOPERATION BETWEEN RESCUE SERVICES OF ARTSAKH AND ARMENIA DISCUSSED IN STEPANAKERT

NOYAN TAPAN
JUNE 14, 2010
STEPANAKERT

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. President of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic Bako Sahakian received on June 12 Armenia’s Minister of
Emergency Situations Armen Yeritsian and his first deputy, Director
of the RA Rescue Service Edik Barseghian.

The Central Information Department of the Office of NKR President
reported that issues related to deepening and expanding the links
between the respective departments of the two Armenian republics
were discussed at the meeting, in which Director of Artsakh’s Rescue
Service Arthur Harutyunian also participated. Special attention was
paid to exchange of experience and technical reequipment, as well as
to implementation of joint measures.

From: A. Papazian

EDIK BARSEGHIAN AWARDED NKR MEDAL “MILITARY SERVICE”

NOYAN TAPAN
JUNE 14, 2010
STEPANAKERT

President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakian signed on
June 10 a decree on awarding the NKR medal “Military Service” to
Armenia’s First Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations, Director of
the RA Rescue Service Edik Barseghian for his efficient participation
in the organization of the NKR’s defence, Noyan Tapan was informed by
the Central Information Department of the Office of the NKR President.

From: A. Papazian

ROAD REHABILITATION HAS GREAT STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE FOR ARTSAKH, BAKO SAHAKIAN SAYS

NOYAN TAPAN
JUNE 14, 2010
STEPANAKERT

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. President of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic Bako Sahakian visited on June 13 the headquarters-camp in
Martuni regional center.

He handed valuable presents and cash rewards to a group of builders
and servicemen of the defence army for their active involvement in
road construction and rehabilitation in Martuni region. Bako Sahakian
thanked them for their activities aimed at improving roads in NKR,
saying that road rehabilitation has great strategic significance for
the republic.

The Central Information Department of the Office of the NKR President
reported that the event was attended by NKR Prime Minister Ara
Harutyunian, Armenia’s Minister of Emergency Situations Armen
Yeritsian, his first deputy Edik Barseghian, and other officials.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIANS IN SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHK ARE VERY HAPPY WITH THEIR CONDITIONS, GEORGIAN PRESIDENT SAYS

NOYAN TAPAN
JUNE 14, 2010
PARIS

PARIS, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. New Generation organization of
French Armenians expressed concern over the Georgian authorities’
discriminatory policy withn respect to Javakheti Armenians,
the persecution of Armenian political activists and political
organizations, and human rights abuses and the current state of
democracy in Georgia.

New Generation also expressed its indignation at the attitude of
Georgia’s executive authority that openly denies the facts concerning
the conditions of Javakheti Armenians.

According to a press release of the organization, during his official
visit to France, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili declared
at the Paris Institute of Political Sciences on June 8 that “the
Armenians in Samtskhe-Javakhk are very happy with their conditions”.

To support his words with evidence, he said that at the latest
presidential elections 88% of Javakheti Armenians voted for him,
and 87% of them voted for the party led by him during the elections
to local government bodies.

Responding to a question of New Generation’s representative, M.
Saakashvili denied the fact that according to the recent reports of the
United Nations Human Rights Committee, the Council of Europe, French
and European observers, and a number of NGOs, a discriminatory policy
is being implemented with respect to the ethnic minorities living
in the south of Georgia, including the Armenians in Samtskhe-Javakhk
province. “I don’t know what reports you are talking about. What you
are saying is not true, I have never seen any serious organization
to say such things to us,” he said, advising New Generation’s
representative to “throw such reports into a garbage can”.

From: A. Papazian