Author: Andres-Papazian

TURKEY FAILS TO PROMOTE DENIALIST AGENDA IN ARGENTINA

Armenian Weekly
Mon, May 31 2010
BUENOS AIRES

Argentina-On May 31, the ANC of South America, a body of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF), issued a statement welcoming Buenos
Aires officials’ decision to block the unveiling of Ataturk’s bust in
the capital. The statement came on the heels of the cancellation of
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s trip to Buenos Aires,
after Argentina’s Armenian community protested the planned unveiling
of Ataturk’s bust.

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan The statement highlighed the
continuities between the genocidal Young Turk government of 1915 and
the Turkish Republic established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, noting
that the policy of Armenian Genocide denial “was born with Ataturk
and is continued today by Prime Minister Erdogan’s government.” The
unveiling of Ataturk’s bust in Buenos Aires is an insult not only
to the Armenian community in Argentina, but to all Argentinians,
the ANC of Argentina noted.

“The responsibility for the cancellation of the Turkish delegation’s
visit falls squarely on Prime Minister Erdogan’s shoulders,” underlined
the ANC of South America.

According to reports from Argentina’s “Armenia” newspaper, Turkish
diplomats in Argentina had stepped up genocide denial efforts
following the successful passage of a 2007 law that condemned
the Armenian Genocide. Using the so-called “historical commission”
envisioned in the Turkey-Armenia Protocols, the Turkish Ambassador to
Argentina Hayri Hayet Yalav had launched an extensive public relations
campaign, coinciding with the 95th anniversary of this crime, inviting
Argentinean public officials on trips to Turkey and promoting closer
Turkish-Argentinian cultural relations.

The Turkish embassy had quietly approached Buenos Aires officials to
sidestep local laws requiring public notice and hearings regarding the
installation of statues on public property, securing an agreement to
replace an existing statue of an Egyptian human rights activist with
that of Ataturk. The plan was uncovered by the ANC of South America
just one week prior to the official installation of Ataturk’s bust.

Within days, a joint Argentina-Armenian Community effort was
launched-including letters to the editor and a public statement in
major local newspapers-resulting in a May 28th meeting with Buenos
Aires city Minister of Parks Diego Santili. The latter rescinded
the decision.

An angry Prime Minister Erdogan pressured Argentina President Kirchner
to overturn the Buenos Aires decision to no avail. Erdogan cancelled
his trip to Argentina along with his trip to Chile the following day.

An interesting side note: The “Armenia” newspaper reports that Turkish
Embassy officials had extended invitations to the Ataturk statue
unveiling to Argentina Armenians with Turkish passports, threatening
them to attend the ceremony or face difficulty in renewing their
travel documents.

From: A. Papazian

INDIA TO FINANCE ARMENIAN FILM ON GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 31, 2010 – 21:23 AMT 16:23 GMT

Director of Armenia’s National Cinema Center Gevorg Gevorgyan said
that India displayed interest towards creation of a feature film on
the Armenian Genocide by 2015.

According to Gevorgyan, Prokash Sharma independent production center
expressed readiness to invest unlimited funds, if the Armenian side
submits a ready script, as the film should comply with the world
standards to secure wide distribution.

“Albert Lazarian is collecting materials for the film. Supposedly,
he will become the film director. However, the film may have several
directors. We also invited foreign script writers,” Gevorkyan stressed.

From: A. Papazian

“LAKESIDE RESORTS. MASIS, SIS AND NEW ARMENIA” PROJECT TO BE LAUNCHED IN RA

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 31, 2010 – 17:36 AMT 12:36 GMT

“Lakeside resorts. Masis, Sis and New Armenia” $500-million project
will be launched in RA, head of the Armenian Development Agency Robert
Harutyunyan said.

The tourist facilities will be located 15km north of Yerevan,
nearby Ashtarak and Abovyan highways. The project also envisages
reconstruction of Yeghvard reservoir, what will cost around $70
million. At that, investors are supposed to get some 30% benefit.

Funds will be attracted with the assistance of The Innovation Capital.

From: A. Papazian

SERZH SARGSYAN: ARMENIA ATTACHES IMPORTANCE TO INTEGRATION PROCESS WITHIN CSTO

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 31, 2010 – 19:40 AMT 14:40 GMT

On May 31, Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan met with heads
of parliamentary delegations of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) member-countries, who arrived in Yerevan to
participate in a visiting meeting of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly.

Serzh Sargsyan noted that Armenia attaches importance to integration
processes within the CSTO. “Armenia’s National Assembly has already
approved 30 out of 31 agreements signed within the CSTO,” the
President stressed.

Even large countries are sometimes unable to tackle numerous
challenges, he said, adding that the process of integration implemented
within the Organization is very important for such countries,
as Armenia.

Chairman of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, Russian State Duma
speaker Boris Gryzlov noted that the meeting of the CSTO PA in Yerevan
is the first visiting one. Participants of the meeting also stated
that the meeting will serve as a new stimulus for the CSTO PA, the
RA President’s press service reported.

From: A. Papazian

INDIA READY TO FUND FILM OF ARMENIA GENOCIDE

ArmInfo
2010-05-31 17:19:00

ArmInfo. India is ready to fund a full film on Armenian Genocide.

Director of the National Cinema Center Gevorg Gevorgyan said in a
press conference in Yerevan on

Monday that Prokash Sharma Production representatives expressed such
desire at a meeting on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival. The
ilm of the Armenian Genocide will be timed to the centennial of the
tragedy. It is noteworthy that experts and scenarists from abroad will
be involved in the scenario. Albert Lazarian supervises the project.

However, G. Gevorgyan said that the project may be undertaken by
several film directors.

From: A. Papazian

JUNE 1 UCOM TO INTRODUCE ITS INTERNET SERVICES IN DAVIDASHEN

ArmInfo
2010-05-31 17:23:00

ArmInfo. June 1 Ucom company will introduce its internet services in
Yerevan’s Davidashen community.

The press service of Ucom reports that the Davidashen office of the
company is located at 25/5 Tigran Mets Str. (Yerevan City supermarket).

The opening of the office will take place June 1 noon. The ceremony
will be attended by a high-ranking representative of Ericsson (Ucom’s
partner) and Director General of Ucom Hayk Yesayan.

In Davidashen Ucom will offer broadband internet, IP television and
fixed telephony. During the summer those in Center and Davidashen
communities who will decide to subscribe to any of the above-mentioned
services will be able to use the second one free of charge for a
whole month: IP television subscribers will be offered one month of
free unlimited 1Mbit/s internet and vice versa.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY [ADA] TO INVEST IN CONSTRUCTION OF HOTEL COMPLEX ‘MASIS, SIS AND NEW ARMENIA’

ArmInfo
2010-05-31 15:46:00

ArmInfo. Armenian Development Agency [ADA] has presented the
investment suggestion on construction of the hotel complex ‘Masis,
Sis and new Armenia’ on the bank of Egvard basin. The project,
which consists of 5 hotels and occupies 25 ha, will cost $500 mln,
$150 mln of which will be attracted like cash investments, the rest –
like credits. The mentioned $150 mln will be formed at the expense of
equal share investments by 50 participants in the project. According
to the preliminary data, the ending of the Egvard basin construction
will cost $70 mln.

‘We think investors from Armenia and other countries of the world may
take part in the project’, – the head of the investment project ‘Masis,
Sis and new Armenia’ Armen Vardanyan said and added the project may
be finished in 2015. ‘In 2015 Armenians of the whole world will mark
100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. We want this complex to
be able to receive numerous people which will arrive in Armenia to
commemorate the memory of out people’s tragedy’, – he said.

Construction of the hotel complex may last 3-4 years.

Director of ADA Robert Harutyunyan said at present they are negotiating
with MGM Mirage, which may be offered to coordinate the activity of
the project.

Vice-president of MGM Mirage has already visited Armenia, and the
talks with the company will be finished by the end of June.

As Armenian State Water Committee under Territorial Administration
Ministry told ArmInfo, at present the project on ending of the Egvard
basin is not watched.

The proposals on drawing out of the relevant project were submitted
to the government, but were declined because of shortage of funds.

From: A. Papazian

TOBACCO-CAUSED DISEASES KILL NEARLY 3,000 PEOPLE EVERY YEAR IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2010-05-31 15:35:00

ArmInfo. The annual turnover of tobacco production in Armenia exceeds
300 million drams, and the share of local production is 62.5% of total
market and the share of import is 37.5% (16 foreign brands). Masis
Tobacco is in the lead in the local tobacco market with 45% of total.

Grand Tobacco ensures 10% of local production and the remaining 7%
is the production of Cigaronne Company. Aharon Adibekyan, Director
of the Sociometer Social Research Center, announced these data in a
press-conference in Yerevan on Monday dedicated to the fight against
smoking, to efficiency of measures and factors of inefficiency.

The sociologist said 28% of the population in Armenia is smokers
(55% men and 2% women). Armenia is in the middle of the list of the
former Soviet-countries by this indicator. Smoking-caused diseases
kill nearly 3000 people in the country every year. In this light A.

Adibekyan came out for tougher control over the quality of imported
tobacco products saying that the same brands of imported cigarettes are
several times cheaper in Armenia rather than in Europe and America. The
sociologist explained such difference of prices with the high level
of counterfeited and contraband products.

How to fight that vicious habit? Hot discussion on this topic become
especially relevant on May 31, the World No Tobacco Day announced by
the World Health Organization. “It is important that giving up smoking
does not damage the health of a smoker more than smoking,” he said.

Adibekyan pointed out stopping smoking one should “restructure” his
life style and system of individual behavior. As regards the measures
to combat smoking and their efficiency, Adivekyan said that tea has a
preventive effect and can adequately replace nicotine. Psychoactive
effect of tannin on human organism continues for some 6 hours,
whereas the effect from nicotine and caffeine lasts 30-40 minutes.

For his part, Armen Poghosyan, President of the Association of
Consumers, said the smoking problem requires a complex approach. The
law banning smoking in public places is the smallest part of the
measures that can reduce the number of smokers. Propaganda of healthy
life style, in particular, visits to fitness- clubs, and sporting in
general are among such measures. A. Adibekyan believes that only 3%
of Armenian families are actively sporting.

The poll conducted by Sociometer revealed that 95% of smokers
refuse to give up smoking today though they are aware of the smoking
aftermaths. The number of smokers in the world is 2 billion, including
every smoker spends on tobacco $300. The largest number of smokers
is in China – 300 million people.

From: A. Papazian

PROGRESSIVE PARTY OF ARMENIA INTENDS TO FILE SUIT AGAINST AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

ArmInfo
2010-05-31 14:23:00

ArmInfo. Progressive Party of Armenia (PPA) intends to file a lawsuit
against Amnesty International organization.

As PPA press service told ArmInfo, in the so-called report of this
organization of 2010, irresponsible authors of the “report” wrote such
a blatant lie that one may draw just two conclusions therefore: either
they are illiterate and unfair and should apologize for their mistake,
or they deliberately introduced an unfancied falsehood in the so-called
“report” pursuing some aims, for what they must also apologize.

“The point is about the incident happened in 2008, when drunken
Mika Danielyan and his friends chased and then attacked Chairman of
Progressive Party of Armenia Tigran Urikhanyan who had to resort to
self-protection and fired blank in the air. M. Danielyan gave false
testimonies, maligned T. Urikhanyan and, having preliminary scratched
his own skin, said (being unknown of the expert examination results
saying it was a blank shot) he had allegedly received fragment wounds”,
PPA reported.

M. Dalnielyan, who sets himself up as human rights protector, committed
violence with respect to T. Urikhanyan, being engaged in protection
of human rights through his vital activities, was not convicted and
is out of prison today, while the aforementioned organization writes
a sheer lie instead of truth, just like in all other articles of the
so-called “report” regarding Armenia.

Progressive Party of Armenia will demand to bring Amnesty
International, which serves someone’s political interests, to justice.

It will also demand compensation for moral damages at the rate of
$1.000.000.

From: A. Papazian

POLAND’S AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA: ARMENIANS AND THE POLACKS HAVE A GREAT SYMPATHY TO EACH OTHER

ArmInfo
2010-05-31 17:20:00

ArmInfo. Armenians and the Polacks have a great sympathy to each
other. This is a priceless value, Ambassador of Poland to Armenia
Zdislav Rachinsky told journalists today.

He also added he has been staying in Yerevan only for three months,
but he has already managed to feel sympathies and kind will of the
Armenian people to himself. The ambassador said that the Armenian
community of Poland, which lives in Poland since the IXV century,
the fact that both countries are Christian and that Armenia is
already bordering to European Union, are the integrating factor
for development of the Armenian-Polish relations. ‘Poland has been
always concerned about and has done everything possible for Armenia
as well as Georgia and Azerbaijan to join ‘Eastern partnership’
programme of EU, which first was foreseen for the three countries –
Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova’, – he said. The ambassador also pointed
at factors which hinder deepening of the Armenian-Polish relations:
first, geographical distance of the countries, second, absence of
direct air communication. The ambassador said that Warsaw-Yerevan
direct air flight will start functioning beginning from 1 July 2010.

He also said that a small market of Armenia is also one of the reasons
which hinders integration of the two states. ‘They are scared that
in general the region is not so much stable. If investments are not
made here, economical cooperation is not extended and deepened, in
that case implementation of many political programmes and plans may
remain “in air”‘, – the ambassador said and added that the societies
of both states know not so much about each other.

From: A. Papazian