Author: Andres-Papazian

UKRAINE RECALLS ITS AMBASSADORS TO BELARUS AND ARMENIA

WorldBulletin, Turkey
March 25 2014

Defense Ministry claimed half of Ukraine’s forces in Crimea have
defected to Russia after Kiev ordered a troop withdrawal.

World Bulletin / News Desk

Ukraine has withdrawn its ambassador from Belarus after Minsk said it
accepted the breakaway Crimea region as part of the Russian Federation.

Kiev sent a diplomatic note to Belarus on Monday after Belarusian
President Alexander Lukashenko said his country recognized Crimea as
a de-facto part of Russia.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yevgeniy Perebiynis told
reporters: “In view of the statement made by Belarusian President
Alexander Lukashenko on March 23, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has
withdrawn the ambassador of Ukraine in the Republic of Belarus for
consultations.”

Perebiynis said Lukashenko’s statement did not conform “to the
generally recognized rules of the international law”.

On Friday, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry also recalled its ambassador to
Armenia after demanding an official explanation regarding President
Serzh Sargsyan’s acceptance of the disputed referendum in Crimea
which heralded its annexation by Russia.

The Armenian ambassador in Kiev was also summoned to the Ukrainian
Foreign Ministry.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has announced that almost
50 percent of its troops in the unrecognized Republic of Crimea have
defected to the Russian military.

Earlier on Monday, acting president of Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov,
ordered the military to withdraw its forces from Crimea for
re-deployment in mainland Ukraine.

“It is 50/50 in quantitative terms. That is, about 50% have switched,”
Oleksandr Rozmaznin, the deputy chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’
Main Command Center told a press briefing.

“The withdrawal will happen very soon,” said Rozmaznin, adding that
“Even if there are no weapons, the people are what matters. And the
weapons will be taken from arms depots.”

Rozmaznin said three Ukrainian ships blockaded in Donuzlav Lake have
not defected and it is impossible to move them into the open sea,
but the Defense Ministry was not considering scuttling the ships.

Meanwhile, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense
Council, Andriy Parubiy, revealed that more than 10,000 Ukrainians
have enlisted in the country’s National Guard since the announcement
of the partial nationwide army mobilization by parliament.

Moscow effectively took control of Crimea after gunmen – suspected
of being Russian miliary – seized Simferopol Airport and the Crimean
parliament building on February 27-28.

President Vladimir Putin signed an annexation order on Tuesday,
triggering U.S. and EU sanctions against key Russian officials.

From: A. Papazian

OPPOSITION WANTS COMMISSION OF TRAFFIC LAWS: MPS SAY PUBLIC DISCONTENT HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED

NEWS | 25.03.14 | 15:55

Photolure

By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

The four-day sitting of the parliament this week has commenced with
the four non-pro-establishment forces suggesting that a temporary NA
commission be formed to study the impact of changes in transport laws.

Specifically the opposition parties want to know how society has been
affected by: the application of speed and road traffic surveillance
cameras installed in 2012-2013, introduction of paid red parking
zones, the potential increase of public bus fairs in Yerevan, fines
for failing to pay the mandatory insurance for vehicles that are no
longer in use.

Heritage faction leader Ruben Hakobyan presenting the initiative said
that there was a need for such a commission, because these issues
have been raised for two-three years now, there is public discontent,
but none of the issues has been solved.

“How much must someone dislike Yerevan to have adopted such laws? The
examples of the speed cameras and the red parking spaces are vivid
manifestations of corruption… Saying beautiful words on how we are
fighting corruption is one thing; being guided by a backyard logic
is another,” he said.

Prosperous Armenia faction secretary Naira Zohrabyan studied the
international practice with the parking red zones and found out that
the money from it goes to community budgets, rather than private
companies.

“It was said during a meeting of the Yerevan city council that the
Parking City company had spent five million drams (around $12,000)
on pre-arranging things. I have asked respective specialists how
much money could have been spent on marking the red spaces, and one
of them who has a good sense of humor, said it could be five million
drams only in one case, if the red paint used belonged to Rembrandt or
another Renaissance genius. The greater part, namely around 70 percent
of that money, goes to a private person’s pocket,” says Zohrabyan,
adding that by her calculations the company has the average of seven
or eight million drams (around $17,000-$19,500) of monthly income.

The pro-establishment MPs criticizing the opposition, said that
lately they are more involved in commission-making than legislative
activities. Ruling Republican MP Koryun Nahapetyan said that the
opposition would better work with that enthusiasm in NA standing
committees, and not waste its energy on groundless speculations. He
also urged them to raise those issues at the city council rather than
the parliament.

Parliament speaker Hovik Abrahamyan suggested that the opposition
break down the issues by respective bodies in charge, turn to them,
get answers, then the parliament would schedule hearings.

“If necessary, we will hold hearings for two days to be able to
get answers to all the issues,” he said. “I will be in charge of
their productivity, as I believe that’s the right way of voicing the
issues of public concern, meaning by having responses from the bodies
in charge.”

Agreeing with the suggestion, Armenian National Congress MP Aram
Manukyan said: “We want to form a commission, because the government
is not afraid of you, but is afraid of us. You do not speak about
secret activities, and besides the government has an influence on you,
and not the other way around, that is why questions remain unanswered.”

From: A. Papazian

YEREVAN BECOMES EXPENSIVE CITY – NEWSPAPER

March 25, 2014 | 07:45

YEREVAN. – A smaller number of Iranians are in Armenia this year, to
celebrate Nowruz (New Year) in Armenia, than in the previous years,
Haykakan Zhamanak daily reported.

“This refers to the negative dynamics that is recorded each year.

“The [Armenian] tour operators’, hotels’ guide-translators, who have an
experience in serving Iranian tourists, already have recorded that far
fewer [Iranian] tourists have visited [capital city] Yerevan this year.

“We spoke with the [Iranian] tourists themselves about the reasons.

They say Yerevan is an expensive city, and [Georgian capital city]
Tbilisi is preferable from purely the financial perspective.

“The Iranians are complaining also about the lack of public toilets
in Yerevan, [and] the taxi drivers, who extort a lot of money for
driving a few kilometers,” Haykakan Zhamanak wrote.

From: A. Papazian

OFFICER WOUNDED IN MARTAKERT WALKS WITH CRUTCHES

Tuesday,
March
25

Officer Varazdat Zakarian wounded in a Martakert military unit on
March 19 is now in a stable condition, hospital doctor Garik Azrian
told Aysor.am.

“He already walks with crutches, but it is early to speak about his
discharge from the hospital,” the doctor said.

As was reported earlier, on March 19 soldier Arman Ghukasian, 20,
died of a gunshot wound while fulfilling a combat task on a frontline
position of a military unit in the northern direction of the Line of
Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

Officer Varazdat Zakarian also received a gunshot wound. He underwent
surgery in the Stepanakert military hospital.

TODAY, 18:00

Aysor.am

From: A. Papazian

DE PLUS EN PLUS DE TWEETS DEPUIS LE BLOCAGE DU RESEAU, IRONISE WASHINGTON

TURQUIE

WASHINGTON, 24 mars 2014 (AFP) – Les Etats-Unis ont ironise lundi sur
le blocage de Twitter par la Turquie, affirmant que la population
de ce pays avait envoye davantage de tweets depuis l’interdiction
controversee decidee par le Premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sur ordre du chef du gouvernement turc, l’autorite des
telecommunications a interdit jeudi dernier l’accès au reseau social
americain, sur lequel des opposants avaient diffuse des conversations
telephoniques piratees mettant en cause M. Erdogan dans un vaste
scandale de corruption.

Cette mesure lui a attire l’ire d’une partie de la communaute
internationale, Washington denoncant vendredi une “entrave a la
liberte d’expression”. La porte-parole du departement d’Etat Marie
Harf a releve lundi qu'”il y avait eu plus de tweets sortis de Turquie
qu’il y en avait avant que le gouvernement bloque” Twitter.

“C’est, je pense, un message interessant pour les gens qui essaient
de reprimer la liberte d’expression : cela ne fonctionne pas, ce n’est
pas la bonne chose a faire”, a critique la responsable americaine.

Elle a encore assure que le “monde pouvait voir que de nombreuses
personnes a l’interieur de la Turquie tweetaient ce qu’ils pensaient
du blocage la-bas” du reseau social.

Les Etats-Unis “ont clairement dit au gouvernement turc que cela
n’etait pas acceptable de bloquer l’accès de ses citoyens aux
plateformes sociales”, a reaffirme Mme Harf.

La porte-parole a enfin reconnu que son gouvernement etait “en contact
avec Twitter”, mais sans dire si les Etats-Unis appuyaient d’eventuels
recours juridiques pour lever le blocage du reseau en Turquie.

Washington et Ankara sont des allies militaires de longue date,
notamment au sein de l’Otan, et les deux pays coopèrent etroitement
pour soutenir l’opposition et la rebellion en Syrie.

Mais les relations subissent un coup de froid depuis quelques mois,
les Etats-Unis critiquant de plus en plus ouvertement le bilan du
gouvernement Erdogan en matière de respect des libertes publiques et
des droits de l’homme.

mardi 25 mars 2014, Ara (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

TENSIONS RUNNING HIGH IN ALEPPO’S ARMENIAN DISTRICTS

16:55 * 25.03.14

The Armenian districts of Syria’s economic capital keep facing mine
and missile attacks as the armed tensions in the country continue.

A message posted in a Facebook group of Syrian-Armenians says the
situation remains particularly tense in the Nor Kyugh neighborhood.

“We ask our compatriots in Aleppo to be cautious. More details will be
available later,” reads the status.

Aleppo faced unrest also on Tuesday. A mine reportedly went off in the
vicinities of an Armenian church in the afternoon, hitting building
roofs and houses and leaving four people,including two Armenians,
injured.

There are no clear reports about victims.

A mortar mine blast which hit an apartment belonging to an Armenian
caused fire which was immediately put out by young Armenians before
firefighters’ arrival.

The neighboring areas have suffered heavy losses. The population is
said to be in terror.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

SERZH SARGSYAN: AZERI LIES A DEMONSTRATION OF MISTRUST IN INTERNATIONAL STRUCTURES

19:21 25.03.2014

“Armenia is actively involved in the international security processes,”
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said, speaking at the Nuclear
Security Summit in The Hague.

The President reminded that in May 2013 Armenia ratified the 2005
amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear
and the Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management and the Joint
Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety
of Radioactive Waste Management. “Besides, we have reinforced the
legal tools of registration and management of the nuclear material
by making amendments to the Law on the Safe Use of Nuclear Energy
for Peaceful Purposes,” he added.

Referring to the issue of security of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant
in Metsamor raised by Azerbaijan, the President said: “I would like to
we are cooperating closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) to ensure the security of the ANPP, consistently implementing
the provisions of the technical document #640. This is evidenced by
the results of IAEA’s OSART mission carried out in Armenia,” he said.

“As for the rumors that we have had problems with radioactive
waste, those lies are first of all a demonstration of mistrust in
international structures, because we coordinate all our programs with
the International Atomic Energy Agency,” the President stated.

From: A. Papazian

L’ARMENIE REAFFIRME SA > SUR LE DROIT A L’AUTODETERMINATION AU MILIEU DE LA SITUATION EN UKRAINE

ARMENIE

La position de principe de l’Armenie sur le droit a l’autodetermination
ne s’est pas modifiee au cours des annees et a ete exprimee a de
nombreuses reprises, a declare le vie-ministre des Affaires etrangères
Chavarch Kotcharian lors de la reception vendredi d’Ivan Kukhta,
Ambassadeur d’Ukraine en Armenie, a la demande de ce dernier.

Plus tôt ce jour-la Kiev s’est interrogee sur la position de l’Armenie
sur le referendum de Crimee exprime au cours d’une conversation
telephonique entre le president Serge Sarkissian et son homologue
russe Vladimir Poutine.

Selon le service de presse presidentiel, au cours de leur conversation
telephonique les deux dirigeants >. > a declare le communique de presse.

Tel que rapporte par le site officiel du ministère des Affaires
etrangères, tout en recevant l’ambassadeur ukrainien, le vice-ministre
des Affaires etrangères Kotcharian a egalement souligne que
aux relations bilaterales et a exige une explication officielle
concernant sa position sur la secession de la Crimee de l’Ukraine
et de rejoindre la Russie. Dans le meme temps, le vice-ministre des
Affaires etrangères d’Ukraine Danilo Lubkivsky a dit que l’ambassadeur
d’Armenie a Kiev avait deux fois ete convoque au ministre ukrainien
des Affaires etrangères et qu’on lui a remis une note officielle.

Pendant ce temps, le President Sarkissian a cherche a atteindre les
Ukrainiens alors qu’il s’exprimait lors d’une ceremonie de remise
des recompenses presidentielles annuelles aux artistes, ecrivains
et scientifiques.

Olena Fetisova, un scenariste ukrainien, producteur et co-directeur
d’un nouveau film sur le cineaste sovietique armenien Sergey
Paradjanov, figurait parmi les laureats du prix presidentiel.

L’Ukrainienne a cependant decide de ne pas venir a Erevan et ne pas
accepter le prix en signe de protestation contre l’acceptation de facto
par le president armenien du resultat du referendum internationalement
condamnee en Crimee.

> a declare le president Sarkissian
dans ses remarques.

From: A. Papazian

LE COMITE CENTRAL DE LA FRA PUBLIE UN COMMUNIQUE SUR LA CRISE A KESSAB

USA

Le Comite central pour l’Ouest des Etats-Unis de la Federation
revolutionnaire armenienne a publie lundi un communique annoncant sa
solidarite avec le peuple de Kessab, qui est assiege depuis vendredi
lorsque des hommes armes ont franchi la frontière avec la Turquie et
ont commence a attaquer la population.

Le Comite central de la FRA a fermement condamne l’attaque contre
la Syrie et exhorte la communaute internationale a intervenir et a
faire pression sur la Turquie pour ne pas directement ou indirectement
donner assistance aux combattants rebelles.

mardi 25 mars 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

NIKOL PASHINYAN ADVISES ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES TO LOOK FOR MONEY IN POCKETS OF OLIGARCHS RATHER THAN ORDINARY PEOPLE

by Ashot Safaryan

ARMINFO
Saturday, March 22, 16:05

Opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan has advised the Armenian authorities to
look for long- term cheap money in the pockets of government officials
and oligarchs rather than ordinary people.

While speaking at the I Am Against civic initiative’s rally against
compulsory accumulative pension system in Armenia, Pashinyan said
that at a meeting one month ago Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
confessed that even though almost 80% of Armenian citizens were
against the system, the government would still impose it.

“This has revealed the gap that exists between authorities and people
in Armenia. President Sargsyan’s key argument is that Armenia needs
long-term cheap money for developing its economy. So, he better look
it in the pockets of former and current government officials and
oligarchs and leave the people alone,” Pashinyan said.

From: A. Papazian