Author: Andres-Papazian

BLACK CLOUDS GATHERING AROUND ARMENIAN DRAM? – NEWSPAPER

February 19, 2014 | 07:35

YEREVAN. – The Armenian national currency, the dram, is showing signs
of devaluation against the US dollar in recent weeks, Zhamanak daily
reports.

“The buying rate is lower, and the selling is conducted at higher
numbers. [But] this fluctuation is not significant and it has seasonal
character.

“In all likelihood, the dram will depreciate in the second half of
February of this year and in March, too. This is primarily due to the
fact that the foreign private remittances [to Armenia] sharply fall
in the first months of the year, since the bulk of the [Armenian]
migrant workers still have not gone to Russia. And it is in February
and in March that the migrant labor season begins. It is therefore
logical that those leaving change their drams before leaving.

“Nonetheless, there are factors that give reason to assume that the
dram may depreciate more than gaining value this year. The maintenance
of, or the drop in, the oil prices, [and] the subsequent inevitable
deterioration of the Russian economy reduce the quantity of the
dollars being transferred to Armenia; that is, our compatriots find
it hard to make a lot of money in Russia against the backdrop of the
slowdown in the economic growth of that country,” Zhamanak writes.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA POVERTY RATE TO RISE UNDER NEW RUSSIAN MIGRANT LAW: OPINION

February 19, 2014 – 16:46 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Changes in Russian legislation aimed to toughen
migration rules will negatively affect the situation in Armenia,
the head of the Republican Union of Employers said, according to
Armenia Today.

According to Gagik Makaryan, there’s no reason to hope that any
exceptions will be made for Armenian citizens. “We’re talking here
of 170 thous. Armenian citizens now deprived of a right to work in
Russia. The return of 70-100 thous. of those will lead to soaring
unemployment, decrease in foreign transfers and income levels, which,
in turn, will impact the purchasing power and sales. In other words, an
upsurge in poverty and public discontent would be in order,” he said.

According to Makaryan, Armenian leadership seems to be overly calm in
the face of the prospect described. “It’s unclear whether it’s because
the situation is under control or the issue is being neglected,”
he concluded.

Russia banned entry to 31,5 thous. Armenians as of February 10,
a migration policy officer at the Russian embassy in Armenia said.

According to Svetlana Stepanova, the figure includes 23,4 thous.

Armenians banned from Russia in 2013 and 8,1 thous. this year.

“170 thous. more are included in the risk group,” Stepanova said.

“These are the citizens who’ve exceeded the allowed duration of stay,
haven’t received a work permit, and continue living in Russia. Once
they cross the border, their entry to Russia will be automatically
prohibited,” she added.

According to Stepanova, 464 thous. foreigners were blacklisted by
Russian migration authorities, 422 thous. of them CIS citizens. A
total of 573 thous. people were on the blacklist as of February 2014.

A total of 670 thous. Armenian citizens traveled to Russia in 2013,
up 20% from a year earlier period (540 thous.) The number of Armenian
nationals officially employed in Russia grossed 130 thous. in 2013,
up 4% from the 2012 data.

In early 2014, amendment to the laws on entry and exit from Russia
and legal status of foreign citizens in Russia became effective,
permitting a 90 day visa-free stay during each period of 180 days.

According to Stepanova, the embassy briefing aims to familiarize
Armenian population with the amendments to the laws. “After the period
of 90 days the visitor should be registered, receive a work permit
or a patent. The rule doesn’t cover students or those undergoing
treatment in Russia. Should a foreigner fail to meet the demands,
he must leave the country and is allowed to return only after 180 days.

If the permitted period was exceeded, the foreigner will be denied
entry into Russia for a period of three or five years from the date
of departure from Russia,” she noted.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA MARKS BOOK DONATION DAY AND 145TH BIRTHDAY OF HOVHANNES TUMANYAN

15:27 19/02/2014 >> CULTURE

Book Donation Day is marked in Armenia today. This date was chosen
because it marks the birthday of great Armenian writer, poet and
public figure Hovhannes Tumanyan.

Hovhannes Tumanyan (February 19, 1869 – March 23, 1923) is considered
to be the national poet of Armenia.

Tumanyan wrote poems, quatrains, ballads, novels, fables, critical and
journalistic articles. His work was mostly written in realistic form,
often centering on everyday life of his time. Born in the historical
village of Dsegh in the Lori region, at a young age Tumanyan moved
to Tiflis, which was the center of Armenian culture under the Russian
Empire during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He soon became known
to the wide Armenian society for his simple but very poetic works.

Many films and animated films have been adapted from Tumanyan’s works.

Two operas, Anush (1912) by Armen Tigranian and Almast (1930) by
Alexander Spendiaryan, were written based on his works.

Book Donation Day has been marked since 2008 on the initiative of
the Armenian government and President of Armenian Writers’ Union
Levon Ananyan.

From: A. Papazian

MAIDAN AND YEREVAN “GASMEN”

Igor Muradyan, Political Analyst
Wednesday, 19 February 2014, 15:18

Again Ukrainian blood was shed in Kiev, and bloodshed will continue.

The war of Ukrainians for the independence of their country against
Russia and pseudo-Ukrainians who cooperate with Russia is escalating.

>From the very beginning of the ongoing developments in Ukraine it was
clear that it was not an orange revolution. The epoch and functions
of orangism passed unheeded. Something more “cool” is happening –
the national liberation war of the Ukrainian people against Russian
colonization. The ruling regime in Moscow has kindled a bloodshed and
set against each other two close nations, the Ukrainians and Russians,
for the sake of strengthening its foothold and improving its image.

These developments cannot end up in peaceful divorce of opponents. All
the peoples have the right to insist on their sovereignty and national
rights. The Ukrainian people with their wonderful culture and Christian
values will not give up on their rights to independence.

Unfortunately, the foreign stakeholders are not willing or are not
able to appease Ukraine, and apparently the tension has intensified so
that definite solutions will be needed which are beyond the official
leadership of Ukraine. The international community will have to
intervene in the ongoing events more decisively.

The Russian society, the Moscow-based intelligentsia is scared and
has no access to the mass media, especially the TV channels but the
Russian people are worried and are increasingly sympathizing with
Maidan and are beginning to understand that the Muscovite elite is
committing a historical and political crime. There is no doubt that
Moscow is lost and is looking for so-called compromise or rather
presenting fiasco for compromise. Moscow has lost Ukraine forever,
whereas everything could have been different had Russian government
respected the Ukrainian people and got over its panic.

Meaninglessly angry and hostile ethnic chauvinism is gathering
momentum in Russia which is motivated by the interests of the petty
bourgeoisie or against the oligarchic bourgeoisie. People who have
lost not only their “national idea” but also elementary values must be
fed on chauvinism to distract their attention from genuine patriotic
and nationalistic moods, i.e. humanistic ideologies in their genesis.

Russia is suffering from a terrible collapse of such eternal values
of the Russian people as loyalty to homeland and orthodox faith.

Propagandists pretending to be ideologists and intellectuals are
trying to develop false priorities that are ripped of the ground and
genuine national interests.

It should be noted that the attempts of Kremlin’s strategists to palm
off the Eurasian project on the society as a uniting idea tan into a
geopolitical war with two fronts, in the direction of the steppe where
ambitious Turkic peoples leave and towards west where Ukrainians live.

Surprisingly, the Russians continue to treat Ukrainians as second-grade
people who are not able to conduct a policy at all, let alone building
a sovereign state. They will not enter into a conflict with the Turks
(Lev Gumilev did not need to worry). In the East Russia ran into
China which will devour all the other threats and make the chief
threat. There is no hope for success in the West either.

The current political leadership of Russia is in such a rage that
it is capable of everything, every crime, including provocation of
regional wars and crimes against humanity, i.e. genocide. They will
have to remember about Getashen, Shahumyan, Hadrut and Berdadzor,
deportation and destruction of the Armenian peaceful population.

And in the current ugly situation it would be good to shut the mouths
and burn legs of the Yerevan-based gazpromist rabble for others not
to do the same again. Armenia is all in lie and dirt thanks to the
“gasmen” who have only one goal – sell the homeland for a song. Maidan
is the sand clock of the miserable destiny of the “gasmen” of Yerevan.

The ugly foreheads of the gasmen, their children and grandchildren
need to be branded with fleur-de-lis of prostitutes. People must know
their gasmen.

– See more at:

From: A. Papazian

KARABAKH PRESIDENT EMPHASIZES COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS IN SOUTHERN PARTS OF REPUBLIC

YEREVAN, February 19. / ARKA /. Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR)
president Bako Sahakyan convened today a working meeting to look
into the pace of resolving social and economic challenges faced by
southern parts of the republic, Sahakyan’s press office reported.

The president was said to have stressed the importance of a
comprehensive solution to the existing problems. In this context,
president Sahakyan gave concrete instructions to heads of departments.

The meeting was attended by deputy prime minister Arthur Aghabekyan
and other officials. -0-

– See more at:

From: A. Papazian

10TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN OFFICER GURGEN MARGARYAN’S AXE-MURDER

Lieutenant of the Armenian Armed Forces Gurgen Margaryan, 26, was
hacked to death, while asleep, by a fellow Azerbaijani participant.

February 19 marks the 10th anniversary of the murder of Armenian
officer Gurgen Margaryan.

February 19, 2014

PanARMENIAN.Net – Lieutenant of the Armenian Armed Forces Gurgen
Margaryan, 26, was hacked to death, while asleep, by a fellow
Azerbaijani participant, lieutenant Ramil Safarov, in Budapest during a
three-month English language course in the framework of NATO-sponsored
Partnership for Peace program.

On April 13, 2006, Budapest District Court sentenced Safarov to life
in prison for murdering Margaryan. On February 22, 2007, Budapest
Court rejected the Azerbaijani military officer’s appeal against the
verdict, precluding possibility of pardon for the initial 30 years.

By a decree of then-President of Armenia, Robert Kocharian, officer
Margaryan was awarded with a posthumous Medal for Courage on February
19, 2005.

In 2012, Safarov was extradited to Azerbaijan and pardoned by
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Official Yerevan reacted by suspending diplomatic ties with Hungary.

Hungary, however, stated that it had sent Safarov back to Azerbaijan
after receiving assurances from the Azerbaijani Justice Ministry that
Safarov’s sentence, which included the possibility of parole after
25 years, would be enforced.

Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orban first stated that he transferred
the prisoner to Azerbaijan on the understanding that he would serve
out the rest of his life sentence in his home country. In later
statements, Orban admitted that he not only signed the extradition
agreement himself, but that he had repeatedly been warned that if
Safarov were extradited to oil-rich Azerbaijian, he would be pardoned
and even celebrated by Ilham Aliyev’s brutal dictatorial regime.

According to some reports, Safarov was extradited to Azerbaijan in
exchange for Azeri purchase of Hungarian securities worth Euro 2-3
billion, an information official Budapest denies.

“Hungarian prime minister is “morally bankrupt” and should resign
after admitting that he personally approved the transfer of the Azeri
axe murderer while knowing the likely consequences,” the leader of
the opposition Socialists said.

Attila Mesterhazy said it was clear from Orban’s comments that he
had been aware that Azerbaijan would release the life-sentenced Ramil
Safarov after his repatriation.

“Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan’s assassin Ramil Safarov fulfilled
Azerbaijan’s state order,” lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan said.

“I am of the same opinion as I was eight years ago. It was a state
order,” she said.

According to her, Azeri authorities from the very beginning were
actively involved in the lawsuit, trying hard to mitigate Safarov’s
sentence.

“Azerbaijan even established an embassy in Budapest, with
representatives of Azeri and Turkish embassies present at court
hearings,” Ms. Vardanyan said, adding that Safarov was later announced
a national hero in Azerbaijan.

In this context, she quoted Azerbaijan’s Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova
and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev as saying, “Safarov must set an
example for the young generation” and “Armenians must be killed in
Nagorno Karabakh.”

From: A. Papazian

COREE DU NORD : UNE COMMISSION DE L’ONU RECLAME LA SAISINE DE LA COUR PENALE INTERNATIONALE

Publie le : 19-02-2014

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
invite a lire cette information publiee sur le site de l’ONU le 17
fevrier 2014.

Legende photo : Des enfants en Republique populaire democratique de
Coree. Photo: UNICEF/Gopalan Balagopal

ONU

17 fevrier 2014 – De multiples crimes contre l’humanite, decoulant
de politiques etablies au plus haut sommet de l’Etat, ont ete commis
et continuent d’etre commis en Republique populaire democratique de
Coree (RPDC), selon un rapport d’une commission d’enquete de l’ONU
publie lundi.

Ce rapport reclame une action urgente de la part de la communaute
internationale pour faire face a la situation des droits de l’homme
dans le pays, y compris la saisine de la Cour penale internationale
(CPI).

Dans un document de 400 pages contenant des pièces justificatives
et des temoignages directs de victimes et de temoins, la Commission
d’enquete des Nations Unies sur la situation des droits de l’homme en
RPDC a documente de manière très detaillee les > commises dans le pays.

La Commission d’enquete, qui a ete etablie par le Conseil des droits
de l’homme des Nations Unies en mars 2013, estime que la gravite,
l’ampleur et la nature de ces violations des droits de l’homme mettent
en evidence un Etat qui n’a aucun parallèle dans le monde contemporain.

Selon le rapport, ces crimes contre l’humanite impliquent des
exterminations, meurtres, esclavage, tortures, emprisonnements,
viols, avortements forces et autres formes de violences sexuelles,
persecutions pour des motifs d’ordre politique, religieux, racial ou
sexiste, le transfert force de populations, les disparitions forcees
de personnes et des actes inhumains causant intentionnellement une
famine prolongee.

La Commission d’enquete estime que la communaute internationale doit
accepter sa responsabilite de proteger le peuple de la RPDC des crimes
contre l’humanite, etant donne l’echec manifeste du gouvernement de
ce pays a le faire. Selon la Commission, la RPDC affiche de nombreux
attributs caracteristiques d’un Etat totalitaire.

Le nombre de prisonniers politiques se situerait entre 80.000 et
120.000 personnes detenues dans quatre grands camps où la famine est
utilisee de manière deliberee pour les contrôler et les punir.

La Commission d’enquete de l’ONU exhorte tous les Etats a respecter
le principe de non refoulement, qui consiste a ne pas renvoyer de
force des refugies vers leur pays d’origine.

Bien que le gouvernement nord-coreen n’ait pas repondu aux demandes de
la Commission de pouvoir se rendre en RPDC et obtenir des informations,
celle-ci a recueilli le temoignage direct de plus de 80 temoins lors
d’audiences publiques a Seoul, Tokyo, Londres et Washington. Elle a
aussi mene plus de 240 entretiens confidentiels avec des victimes et
temoins, y compris a Bangkok.

Le rapport inclut une lettre envoyee par les commissaires au chef
de l’Etat nord-coreen, Kim Jong-un, contenant un resume de leurs
constatations les plus graves. Dans cette lettre, les commissaires
declarent qu’ils recommanderont le renvoi de la situation en RPDC a
la Cour penale internationale.

La Commission d’enquete appelle aussi le Conseil de securite des
Nations Unies a adopter des sanctions ciblees contre les personnes
qui semblent porter la responsabilite la plus lourde pour ces crimes
contre l’humanite.

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : ONU

From: A. Papazian

LE MINISTRE NEERLANDAIS DES AE SOUTIENT LA CANDIDATURE DE LA TURQUIE A L’UE

TURQUIE

Les Pays-Bas salueront l’adhesion de la Turquie a l’UE si les
pourparlers pour son accession se terminent bien, a declare le ministre
neerlandais des Affaires etrangères Frans Timmermans.

“Une fois les negociations terminees, les Pays-Bas seront de ceux
qui accueillent chaleureusement la Turquie parmi les Etats membres
de l’UE,” a indique M. Timmermans lors d’une conference de presse
conjointe avec son homologue turc Ahmet Davutoglu dans la capitale
turque, Ankara.

M. Timmermans s’est rendu en visite a Ankara afin de participer a la
sixième reunion de la conference bilaterale de Wittenburg entre la
Turquie et les Pays-Bas.

Le chef de la diplomatie neerlandaise a affirme soutenir
personnellement l’ouverture des chapitres 23 et 24 dans les pourparlers
concernant l’adhesion entre la Turquie et l’UE, soulignant cependant
qu’il s’entretiendrait de la question avec son gouvernement et
Parlement.

Ouvrir des negociations sur ces chapitres engage la Turquie dans le
debat “sur les questions ayant un lien avec l’Etat de droit,” a dit M.

Timmermans, ajoutant qu’il pensait “qu’il serait bon (pour la Turquie)
d’aborder ces sujets.”

mercredi 19 fevrier 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

NO OLYMPIC RINK AVAILABLE? HAVE YOU CONSIDERED ARMENIA?

Wall Street Journal , Y
Feb 18 2014

Even with their sport anchored to Sochi for two weeks, the top women
in figure skating have been accruing some serious frequent-flyer
miles this month.

After arriving here, skaters from the U.S., Japan and Russia relocated
out-of-country for a few days.

The 2014 Games introduced a new team event, which took place Feb. 6
through 9, followed by a medal ceremony the next day. But with the
women’s competition scheduled for this Wednesday and Thursday, the
ladies had more than a week to kill and limited access to practice ice,
given the presence of men’s, pairs and ice-dance skaters.

So off they went. After receiving the bronze medal on Feb 10, the U.S.

women-Ashley Wagner, Gracie Gold and Polina Edmunds-decamped to
Austria. The Japanese ladies-2010 silver medalist Mao Asada, Akiko
Suzuki and Kanako Murakami-relocated to Armenia. And Russia’s Julia
Lipnitskaya flew to Moscow.

When the Americans returned on Saturday, they gave a news conference
that made the trip sound like a week at camp: lots of focused work
to correct mistakes from the team competition, followed by gathering
’round the television to catch the Olympic men compete.

The focused time spent on conditioning and skills also had an added
benefit: “Sometimes it’s nice to get away from you all,” Wagner told
the media.

From: A. Papazian

MALIKI RECEIVES THE ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND RECEIVES A FORMAL INVITATION TO VISIT ARMENIA

National Iraqi News Agency (NINA)
February 17, 2014 Monday

BAGHDAD / NINA / Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki received on Monday 17
Feb. a formal invitation to visit the Republic of Armenia and Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

A statement by his office today said that al-Maliki during a meeting
with Nalbandian welcomed the invitation and Iraq’s willingness to raise
the level of cooperation between the two countries at various levels,
adding that there are broad areas of cooperation must be invested ,
especially with the political will and the common desire to develop
bilateral relations , calling to complete the seven agreements to be
signed between the two sides.

For his part, Foreign Minister of Armenia said that his country
is waiting for Prime Minister’s visit , and is seeking to develop
relations with Iraq in all fields, especially in the field of
agriculture and electronic industries , education and health , adding
that the Armenian authorities to facilitate travel procedures for
Iraqis .

The Armenian minister arrived in Baghdad yesterday in a visit for
several days. / End

From: A. Papazian