Author: Andres-Papazian

OVER 100 ARMENIAN STUDENTS TO BE GRANTED BEELINE’S SCHOLARSHIPS

ARMINFO
Monday, November 25, 15:13

ArmenTel CJSC (Beeline brand), British Council Armenian Branch and
Armenia’s Education and Science Ministry have announced a Beeline
Scholarship project.

Under the project ArmenTel will provide scholarships to nearly 100
students by paying their tuition fee per one semester. The amount of
the scholarship will not exceed 300.000 AMD.

According to British Council Armenian Branch, the scope of the
eligibility for the Beeline Scholarship is as follows: – students
should be enrolled in a State Higher Education Institution and study in
any of the following academic fields (social sciences and humanities,
arts, engineering, IT, law, business administration, international
relations, economy, exact and natural sciences), – students should
be in their 2-4 year, – only students paying full tuition fee, who
do not receive any other scholarship will be accepted (shortlisted
students will be required to present a confirmation statement from
the university).

“I am sure that our project will help gifted students to master
their professions they have chosen and to use them to the benefit of
their homeland. The project will cover almost 50,000 students from 38
state universities all over Armenia. I am pleased that this socially
oriented initiative will help young people to create conditions for
their future success,” says Andrey Pyatakhin, CEO of ArmenTel.

The competition will consist of two stages.

ArmenTel is part of VimpelCom, one of the biggest telecom operators
in the world.

From: A. Papazian

DEUX PRISONNIERS EN ARMENIE DEMANDENT L’AIDE DU BUREAU DE L’OMBUDSMAN

ARMENIE

Le leader de l’opposition radicale Shant Harutyunyan emprisonne pendant
une manifestation violente au debut de Novembre et l’acteur comique
Vardan Petrossian, qui est en garde a vue dans le cadre d’un accident
mortel de la route, ont partage leurs preoccupations avec le Bureau
de l’Ombudsman d’Armenie en ce qui concerne leurs conditions actuelles.

Harutyunyan, en particulier, a eu une reunion avec le conseiller de
l’Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan mercredi, en lui disant que s’il n’avait
pas de plaintes au sujet de sa situation actuelle, il est preoccupe
par la perspective de devenir une victime de provocations a l’hôpital
psychiatrique d’où il devrait etre transfere le lendemain suite a une
decision de justice correspondante. Lors de la reunion Harutyunyan a
egalement souligne la necessite de veiller a sa securite personnelle
etant donne que lui-meme a travaille dans des organes repressifs dans
le passe. Il a demande que le conseiller du Mediateur lui rend visite
une fois qu’il aura ete place dans un etablissement psychiatrique.

” Une lettre officielle avec une petition pour s’assurer de la securite
de Shant Harutyunyan a deja ete prepare a l’instruction de l’ombudsman
“, a rapporte le site officiel de l’ombudsman armenien. ” Le Mediateur
fera en sorte que la securite de Shant Harutyunyan soit garanti
dans l’hôpital psychiatrique, et des representants de l’Ombudsman
regulièrement lui rendront visite “.

Pendant ce temps, l’avocat de l’acteur emprisonne Vardan Petrossian,
qui a recemment ete transfere dans un centre cardiologique en raison de
problèmes de sante, a informe le Mediateur au sujet de ” manifestations
de torture et de traitement inhumain ” contre son client.

Selon la plainte publiee par les medias armeniens l’enqueteur aurait
contraint Petrossian a quitter l’etablissement medical le 9 Novembre
et comparaître devant le tribunal de droit commun, le 9 Novembre.

Petrossian, qui accuse d’etre responsable d’un accident de voiture
dans lequel deux personnes ont ete tuees et où il a ete blesse,
a refuse de participer a l’enquete dirigee par Hayk Hakobyan.

lundi 25 novembre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

ERDOGAN REFUSE DE RESPECTER DES DIRIGEANTS MIS EN PLACE PAR LES MILITAIRES

EGYPTE TURQUIE

ANKARA, 23 nov 2013 (AFP) – Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip
Erdogan a declare samedi qu’il ne respecterait “jamais” des dirigeants
installes par les militaires, peu après l’expulsion de l’ambassadeur
turc par l’Egypte.

“Je ne respecterai jamais ceux qui sont arrives au pouvoir par un
coup d’Etat”, a dit M. Erdogan devant des journalistes. La crise
entre l’Egypte et la Turquie, nee avec la destitution du president
islamiste Mohamed Morsi, soutenu par M. Erdogan, et la repression de
ses partisans, s’est aggravee samedi, Le Caire expulsant l’ambassadeur
de Turquie et Ankara appliquant la “reciprocite”.

Le Premier ministre turc, proche de la confrerie des Frères musulmans
a laquelle appartient M. Morsi, avait dans le passe qualifie sa
destitution le 3 juillet par l’armee de “coup d’Etat” inacceptable.

Jeudi, il avait affirme n’avoir “aucun respect pour ceux qui ont
amene M. Morsi devant la justice”, faisant reference au procès du
seul president jamais elu democratiquement d’Egypte pour “incitation
au meurtre” de manifestants.

Qualifiant ces propos “d’ingerence inacceptable dans les affaires
internes de l’Egypte” et de “provocation”, la diplomatie egyptienne
a convoque samedi l’ambassadeur de Turquie, Huseyin Avni Botsali,
lui signifiant qu’il etait desormais “persona non grata”.

Dans le meme temps, Le Caire a annonce que son ambassadeur, Abderahman
Salah ElDin, rappele le 15 août d’Ankara, ne retournerait pas a son
poste et qu’il serait replace par un charge d’affaires. Ankara a
riposte immediatement en declarant “persona non grata” l’ambassadeur
egyptien.

Samedi, M. Erdogan a affirme que son gouvernement appuyait les partis
democratiques a travers le monde. “Nous ne respectons jamais ceux
qui ne respectent pas les droits souverains du peuple”, a-t-il ajoute.

Lors d’un rassemblement samedi matin a Trabzon, dans le nord de la
Turquie, M. Erdogan a fait une nouvelle fois le salut a quatre doigts,
dit “main de Rabaa”, signe de resistance au nouveau pouvoir egyptien
et de solidarite avec les Frères Musulmans.

lundi 25 novembre 2013, Ara ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

`Good news’: Armenia welcomes `first-step’ agreement on Iran’s nuclear program

NEWS | 24.11.13 | 19:19

Photo: State Department photo

Armenia has welcomed the agreement reached between Iran and six world
powers regarding the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

The five-day talks between Iran and top representatives of the
so-called P5+1 group – the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia, the
United States, and Germany – ended on Sunday in a `historic’ deal that
is hoped to open a way for a comprehensive settlement of the problem.

`We welcome the agreement reached in Geneva on Iran’s nuclear program.
This is good news not only for the region but for the whole
international community,’ said Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in
an official statement disseminated by his press office.

`Armenia has always advocated a negotiated, peaceful solution of the
issue. Although the agreement reached is of interim nature, it paves
the way for a comprehensive settlement through efforts of all
negotiating parties,’ Nalbandian emphasized.

Iran is a major trade and economic partner of Armenia and one of its
two (out of four) neighbors that have an open border with it. Experts
say that settlement of relations between the West and Iran may also
have positive effects on Armenia’s regional standing.

From: A. Papazian

Armenia 79th among 140 in Tourism Competitiveness Ranking

The ruins at Karahounj (stonehenge) in Armenia are a popular tourist attraction

YEREVAN (Arka) – The latest World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism
Competitiveness Report ranked Armenia 79th among 140 countries,
economy minister Vahram Avanesyan said at a cabinet session today.

According to the report, in 2013 Armenia has improved its position by
11 places compared with 2012.

According to the minister, the main obstacles hindering the tourism
industry’s development are high air fare prices and shortage of
affordable hotels.

`Regarding hotels, the report compares the number of rooms with the
number of population and in this sense Armenia ranked very low,’ he
said.

He said although in recent years significant progress was made in
boosting the tourism industry, Armenia lags behind in many respects,
even among other former Soviet republics.

In turn, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said these factors speak of
the need for new investment in the sector.

The Cabinet approved Thursday a plan of activities aimed at improving
the competitiveness of Armenia in the world tourism market. The
program consists of 41 chapters and provides for an increase in
tourist flows to Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

TENNIS
Margarita Gasparyan remporte le Tournoi féminin international de Minsk (Belarus)

L’Arménienne Margarita Gasparyan (qui représente la Russie) a gagné le
tournoi international féminin ITF de tennis de Minsk (Belarus). M.
Gasparyan (19 ans) s’est impose en finale en deux sets (6-4, 6-4) face
à l’Ukrainienne Anastasia Vassilieva. Le Tournoi international était
doté de 25 000 dollars. Pour cette performance, M. Gasparyan
progressera de 50 points. Elle améliorera ainsi son classement qui
était jusqu’à présent au 322ème rang mondial.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 24 novembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIE-GEORGIE
L’Arménie va expédier aux écoles arméniennes de Géorgie 14 700 livres arméniens

Le ministère arménien de l’Education et des Sciences expédiera 14 700
livres arméniens ainsi que des cahiers scolaires en direction des
écoles arméniennes de Géorgie. Nouné Vartanian, responsable
administrative des relations au ministère de la Diaspora a confié
qu’il restait à connaître le résultat de l’appel d’offres pour
l’entreprise de transport qui dirigera ces livres vers les écoles
arméniennes de Géorgie. L’Arménie attend par ailleurs l’accord du
ministère géorgien de l’Education pour l’envoi de ces livres
arméniens. La rentrée scolaire des écoles de Géorgie s’est déroulée le
16 septembre.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 24 novembre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

US Department of State
Nov 22 2013

United States-Armenia Joint Economic Task Force Meeting in Washington, DC

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
November 22, 2013

On November 22, the U.S. Department of State welcomed Armenian
Minister of Finance Davit Sargsyan and his delegation, including
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ashot Hovakimian and Armenian
Ambassador to the United States Tatoul Markarian, for the 22nd
U.S.-Armenia Joint Economic Task Force (USATF).

Both sides held discussions on mechanisms to deepen economic ties,
increase trade and investment, and advance market reforms. Armenia and
the United States welcomed the new $180 million investment in
Armenia’s hydropower sector by the U.S. company Contour Global. This
investment, which is expected to be partially financed by the U.S.
Overseas Private Investment Corporation, represents the largest U.S.
private investment in Armenia’s history and the first U.S. investment
in Armenia’s critical energy sector. Participants discussed the
bilateral launch of a visa liberalization process with the goal of
achieving a visa-free regime for American travelers and ten-year
multiple entry visas for Armenians, leading to increased bilateral
trade and investment. The United States also encouraged implementation
of Armenia’s civil aviation liberalization reforms.

The United States highlighted Armenia’s selection as one of 20 focus
countries for the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID)
Science, Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships. Through this
initiative, both countries have agreed to undertake a signature effort
in the areas of clean energy and water.

The USATF is an annual bilateral meeting that promotes trade and
investment between the United States and Armenia. The U.S. Government
was represented by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European
and Eurasian Affairs Eric Rubin, USAID Assistant Administrator Paige
Alexander, and Coordinator of Assistance for Europe Daniel Rosenblum.
The U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia John A. Heffern and
USAID Armenia Mission Director Karen Hilliard also attended.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA TO IMPOSE RESTRICTIONS ON CASINOS

by Arthur Yernjakyan

ARMINFO
Friday, November 22, 15:18

In 2014 Armenia will impose restrictions on casinos.

MP from the Republican Party of Armenia Vardan Ayvazyan told
journalists on Friday that the new law on casinos allows gambling
activities only in the resorts of Tsaghkadzor, Jermuk, Sevan and
Meghri.

He said that each year the Government receives almost $20mln from
casinos, but now that the restrictions have been imposed, this sum
will drop.

Economist Vardan Bostanjyan pointed out that in reality the law allows
building a casino anywhere provided that the builder invests no less
than $100mln. “So, if you have money, you can build a casino even in
the center of Yerevan,” Bostanjyan said.

From: A. Papazian

ALMOST 80 % OF ARMENIAN LAWMAKERS NEVER READ PENSION REFORM BILL

YEREVAN, November 22. / ARKA /. Almost 80 % of Armenian lawmakers
who approved the bill on mandatory pension savings fund and 90% of
the government did not even read the package of relating documents,
Artsvik Minasyan, a lawmaker from the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation/Dashnaktsutyun (ARF) claimed today.

Under the new pension plan to come into effect in January 2014, all
Armenian citizens born after January 1, 1974 will have to transfer
five percent of their nominal salaries to their personal retirement
savings fund. The government promises to transfer as much every month,
but no more than 25,000 drams ($62).

Critics of the law describe it as “anti-constitutional”, saying it
restricts citizens’ freedom to administer their finances; however,
the authorities retort by saying the new pension plan will contribute
to development of the country and secure ‘decent retirement.”

According to Minasyan, in the government there are people who agree
with ARF’s criticism in private conversations. The ARF member said the
hope is that out-of-parliamentary forces, opposed to the law, will join
the parliamentary opposition to make the government throw away the law.

Late last week the parliament majority derailed an extraordinary
parliament session initiated by the minority factions to discuss the
matter. This prompted groups of activists to continue their street
protests against the enforcement of the law. -0-

– See more at:

From: A. Papazian