Author: Andres-Papazian

RELATIONS OF WWF-ARMENIA AND NATURE PROTECTION MINISTRY HAVE DETERIORATED AFTER SCANDAL OVER KHOSROV RESERVE

ARMINFO
Thursday, February 21, 10:53

Relations of WWF-Armenia and Nature Protection Ministry have
deteriorated after scandal over Khosrov reserve.

The position of the Khosrove reserve director has become a large
stumbling block. Last year a poacher Gabriel Poghosyan (nickname Nono)
was due to get that position. Then, the Caucasus Nature Fund (CNF)
suspended funds of the Khosrov reserve as a sign of protest, with
WWF-Armenia terminating its work in the protected area. After that
scandal, the Ministry of Nature Protection expressed readiness to
announce a new contest for the post of the director for March 15 2013.

Talking to ArmInfo, Head of WWF-Armenia Karen Manvelyan said that
the relations with the Ministry have grown tense over that scandal
and the communication is at the level of correspondence now.

“However, our stance has not changed. The Khosrov reserve must be
headed by a proper person,” Manvelyan said.

He said that terminating the work of WWF in Khosrov Reserve he acted
within his competence.

“As far as I know, the Ministry applied to WWF Office afterwards. They
at WWF know that we cannot support a poacher’s nominee,’ he said.

After the director is chosen, WWF Armenia will decide weather to
further contribute to the reserve or not.

“This reserve is an etalon of nature and its director must be a role
model, with relevant higher education and work experience. A degree in
science is desirable. We will be happy if such candidates are found,”
Manvelyan said.

Since 2002 WWF has implemented 3 projects in the amount of $500,000
at Khosrov reserve. The employees of the reserve were provided with
vehicles, uniform and the necessary devices. In addition, tourist
routes with the necessary posters and signs have been created at
the reserve. CNF, in turn, was to complete a three-year project of
assistance to Khosrov reserve last year. The project costs over
2500,000 EUR. Till the end of 2012 CNF was to transfer the last
40,000 EUR, but the amount has been frozen as a sign of protest
against Gabriel Poghosyan’s appointment.

Khosrov reserve was created in 1958. A total of 1849 species of
plants, that make up over half of Armenia’s flora (3500 species)
and one-third of the Caucasus’ flora (nearly 6 thsd species) grow in
an area of 23878 ha. Here one can also find such animals included in
the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature
as leopard, Armenian moufflon, and bezoar goat.

Last autumn scandal arouse after activists revealed facts of illegal
hunting in the territory of the reserve. Director of the reserve
was dismissed. At present Hrachya Hovakimyan, deputy director of the
reserve in 1992-1994, is acting director.

From: A. Papazian

AUSTRALIA’S FEDERAL MEMBER JOHN ALEXANDER’S RAISED THE ISSUE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN PARLIAMENT

11:45, 21 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: The Federal Member for Bennelong,
John Alexander has delivered a powerful speech on the Armenian
community in Parliament. As reports Armenpress, referring ANC
Australia’s official website, during his speech Alexander praised the
life of Mr. Jacques Baran, an Armenian-Australian who was awarded City
of Ryde Citizen of the Year in recognition of his years of service
to the Bennelong community. In recounting the life of Mr. Baran,
Alexander recounted the impact that the Armenian Genocide had on Mr.
Baran.

“The acts of genocide committed against the Armenian people in the
early 20th century caused them to scatter across the globe, creating
many obstacles in the perpetuation of their unique culture,” said
Alexander.

In 2011 Jacques joined the North Ryde Community Aid and Information
Centre as a volunteer, assisting disabled and aged clients with their
transport emergency needs, and providing his specialist language
skills for Armenian seniors to interact with the wider community.

“Legend has it that Adolf Hitler justified his final solution policy
against the Jewish community by remarking, ‘No one remembers the
Armenians.’ It is fitting that nearly 100 years after the Armenian
genocide we can stand up on the other side of the world and applaud
the efforts of people like Jacques Baran and proclaim that we remember
the Armenians and we celebrate their enduring language, culture and
heritage. As we turn our attention to the Armenian Christian minority
currently being targeted in Aleppo, in Syria, we pray that common sense
and global leadership will help these proud people prevail once more,”
continued in his speech Mr. Alexander.

ANC Australia Executive Director, Vache Kharamanian praised the
comments and thanked Alexander for again raising this important issue.

“It is a sad reality that Armenian’s fled their ancestral homelands
due to the genocide. Mr. Alexander has been a strong advocate on
all issues of importance to the Armenian-Australian community and we
thank him for his ongoing support,” Kahramanyan said.

ANC Australia extends its warm wishes and congratulations to Mr.

Jacques Baran for his achievements.

From: A. Papazian

SERGE SARKISSIAN EST-IL PIRE QUE SON PREDECESSEUR ?

Jamanak se montre perplexe face a une declaration de Levon Zourabian,
coordinateur du Congrès national armenien, considerant le President
sortant comme pire que Robert Kotcharian. Ce quotidien dit admettre
que Serge Sarkissian a echoue dans tous les domaines au cours des
cinq annees de sa presidence, mais ne cache pas sa perplexite face au
fait qu’un representant du CNA, qui hier encore considerait Robert
Kotcharian comme un ” criminel “, le decrive aujourd’hui comme un
president ayant mieux reussi que son successeur. ” Un president qui a
laisse derrière lui dix morts dans les rues d’Erevan, comment peut-il
etre considere comme ayant reussi par une formation politique qui se
dit democratique ? “, s’etonne Jamanak.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 14 fevrier 2013

jeudi 21 fevrier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

1454 ETUDIANTS ONT QUITTE LES UNIVERSITES D’ETAT

1324 etudiants ont ete exclus des universites d’Etat selon le ministre
armenien de l’education et des sciences Armen Ashotyan.

Il a dit 130 etudiants avaient abandonne en raison des frais de
scolarite, et 1454 ont quitte le cursus où ils s’etaient inscrits.

Pour le ministre ces chiffres sont dûs a des examens de passage de
plus en plus stricts.

jeudi 21 fevrier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS CALM BUT NO REAL COMPETITION, MEPS SAY

ENPI Info Centre
Feb 20 2013

Armenia’s presidential elections on 18 February were calm but the
campaign lacked substantive political debate and real competition,
European Parliament (EP) observers have said.

EP delegation chair Milan Cabrnoch, delivering the MEPs’ preliminary
observations in Yerevan yesterday, said there had been no major
difficulties in procedures on election day, “following a somewhat
quiet, low-key election campaign with no substantive political debate
or real competition. This was due mainly to the decision by three
major parties not to field candidates.”

The parliamentary delegation stressed that Armenianeeds to restore
faith in electoral processes for the future and “deliver on democratic,
economic and social reforms with a view to concluding the EU-Armenia
Association Agreement.”

MEPs also endorsed the preliminary findings of an election observation
mission sent by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), headed by Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini.

Tagliavini said the elections themselves had been well run and had
respected the fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression, but
a lack of impartiality and the misuse of administrative resources in
campaign had “blurred the distinction between the activities of the
state and those of the ruling party”. (EU Neighbourhood Info)

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA LOOKS TO RUSSIA FOR SUPPORT

The Moscow Times, Russia
Feb 20 2013

By Ivan Nechepurenko

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, re-elected in a landslide victory
Monday, is expected to keep the promotion of Russian ties a priority
during his second five-year term, as his country moves closer to
clinching an Association Agreement with the European Union.

Flare-ups in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, seized by Armenia
in the early 1990s but still considered part of Azerbaijan, have left
Armenia seeking Russian support in peace talks. Gunfire exchanges
along Nagorno-Karabakh’s border with greater Azerbaijan escalated in
the run-up to the election.

Sargsyan, who was born in Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital and largest city,
Stepanakert, “sees the Russian-Armenian alliance as the main pillar
of Armenia’s security,” said Simon Saradzhyan, a research fellow
at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center. “The partnership has a
stabilizing impact on the region if only because it helps to deter
Azerbaijan from waging a war over Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“Russia also benefits from this partnership because the latter enables
Moscow to project influence in the region as well as limit influence
of other external stakeholders,” he added.

“While Russia’s relations with Georgia have somewhat improved under
[recently elected Prime Minister] Bidzina Ivanishvili, [President]
Ilham Aliyev’s Azerbaijan is increasingly reluctant to follow Moscow’s
lead, as demonstrated by Baku’s decision to force the Russian military
withdraw from the early warning radar at Gabala by demanding an
exorbitantly high lease payment.”

Armenia, which borders Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Turkey, was one
of the first countries that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu
visited after being appointed in November. It was recently announced
that Russia will sign a new agreement on military-technical cooperation
with Armenia.

With both Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s borders closed to Armenia –
Turkey and Armenia have clashed over recognition of genocide of ethnic
Armenians in Turkey during World War I – and Iran being economically
weakened by sanctions from Western powers, landlocked Armenia finds
itself heavily dependent on its former Soviet master, Russia.

Armenia has been cautious about European integration but is expected
to sign an EU Association Agreement this November.

After a Jan. 9 meeting between EU Commissioner Stefan Fule and the
president of the Armenian National Assembly, Hovik Abrahamyan, Fule
emphasized in a statement that “it is in the EU’s interest to see
good Armenian-Russian relations; they can in turn benefit also from
Armenia’s partnership with the EU.”

But Felix Stanevsky, head of the Caucasus Department at the CIS
Institute, believes that the West is pushing Armenia “too much” toward
European integration and “is demanding that Armenia make a definite
choice between integration with Europe and fostering ties with Russia.”

“Armenians themselves who decide the fate of their country,” he said,
adding that the West was violating standards of diplomacy.

Russia has repeatedly tried to lure Armenia into its Customs Union
with Belarus and Kazakhstan. But Armenia has been reluctant, saying
its national economic structure does not complement that of the
energy-dependent union.

Edgar Vardanian, an expert at the Armenian Center for National and
International Studies, thinks that Russia will continue to lead
Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks as a member of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk Group, specifically
established to deal with the territorial conflict.

In Vardanian’s opinion, Armenia will continue to have very strong
ties with Moscow. At the same time, he believes that Russia “should
try to foster development in the whole region, instead of pursuing
separate policies with Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan.”

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO MEET HERITAGE PARTY LEADER

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 20 2013

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan offered to meet leader of the
Heritage Party Raffi Ovannisyan at any time.

Ovanissyan demands Sargsyan to recognize his victory and gave the
president time until 5.00 pm on February 20 to admit that people won
the elections.

Sargsyan’s press secretary Armen Arzumanyan said that the president
would meet all political leaders. The press secretary reminded that
all international monitoring missions had recognized the elections.

Ovannisyan got about 37% of votes and requested additional security
measures for protection, stating that his supporters and journalists
had been attacked. The police have provided 24/7 patrols for his house.

Sargsyan got over 58% of votes.

From: A. Papazian

ELECTION OBSERVATION: ARMENIAN ELECTION GENERALLY WELL-ADMINISTERED AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS RESPECTED, BUT SOME KEY CONCERNS REMAIN

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
Feb 19 2013

Armenia’s presidential election was generally well-administered and
was characterized by a respect for fundamental freedoms, including
those of assembly and expression, concluded the international election
observation mission in a statement released today. At the same time,
a lack of impartiality on the part of the public administration and
the misuse of administrative resources resulted in a blurring of
the distinction between the activities of the state and those of the
ruling party, the statement said.

Candidate registration was inclusive, contestants had the chance
to campaign freely and voters had the opportunity to express their
choice. Media fulfilled their legal obligation to provide balanced
coverage and all contestants made use of their free airtime, the
statement said.

Among the concerns over misuse of administrative resources identified
in the statement was the participation, while on leave, of a large
number of public and civil servants in the campaign of the incumbent.

There have been clear improvements in the electoral process since
the previous presidential elections, and we have noted progress in
many areas, including the media environment and the legal framework,
said Karin Woldseth, the Head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) delegation. At the same time, our joint
findings note several important areas where marked improvement is
needed to ensure full public trust in the electoral process.

The electoral framework is comprehensive and conducive overall to the
conduct of democratic elections, and election commissions administered
the process in a professional manner, the statement said. It also
noted that, while several candidates alleged that voter lists were
inflated and raised concerns about possible impersonation of out-of
country voters, no evidence of this had been provided prior to election
day. The mission assessed positively the efforts that have been made
to improve the accuracy of voter lists, although further work in this
area remains to be done.

We have observed a calm election day, characterized by no major
difficulties in electoral procedures, following a somewhat quiet,
low-key election campaign lacking significant political debate and real
competition, said Milan Cabrnoch, the Head of the European Parliament
delegation. This was mainly due to the decision by three main parties
not to nominate candidates.

The campaign remained peaceful, although one candidate was shot and
injured early in the campaign under circumstances that are under
investigation. While election day was calm and orderly, it was marked
by undue interference in the process, mainly by proxies representing
the incumbent, and some serious violations, including cases of pressure
on voters, were observed.

Having been in the country for six weeks, we can say that candidates
were able to campaign freely and fundamental freedoms were respected.

Overall, the election was administered in a professional manner and
real efforts were made by the authorities to improve the quality
of the voter lists. The media covered all candidates in a rather
balanced manner, but that coverage would have benefited from more
critical analysis and debates between candidates, said Ambassador Heidi
Tagliavini, the Head of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions
and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) long-term election observation mission.

Unfortunately, the blurring of the distinction between the State and
the ruling party continues to be an issue. This was demonstrated in
the misuse of administrative resources, pressure on voters, and a
lack of impartiality on the part of the public administration.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN VOTE FAVORS INCUMBENT

The International Herald Tribune, France
February 19, 2013 Tuesday

Victory would promote stability for ally of U.S. and aid in watching Iran

DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
MOSCOW

ABSTRACT
A second term for President Serzh Sargsyan would maintain stability in
a country that has become an increasingly important American ally

FULL TEXT
Armenians voted on Monday in a presidential election that seemed
certain to return President Serzh Sargsyan to office for a second
five-year term, and to maintain stability in a country that has become
an increasingly important, if uneasy, American ally in monitoring
Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Mr. Sargsyan, 58, a veteran politician, is generally viewed as having
presided over modest economic improvements in recent years, though
Armenia has struggled because of closed borders with Turkey and with
Azerbaijan, its enemy in a continuing war over the disputed territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mr. Sargsyan faced relatively weak competition after his two strongest
potential challengers and their parties announced last year that they
would not compete in the election – former President Levon
Ter-Petrossian of the Armenian National Congress and Gagik Tsarukyan
of the Prosperous Armenia Party. Mr. Tsarukyan is a wealthy
businessman, lawmaker and the head of Armenia’s national Olympic
committee.

An exit poll of 19,130 voters conducted by Gallup International and
carried by ArmNews TV showed Ms. Sargsyan winning 58 percent of the
vote, The Associated Press reported. The closest of his six rivals,
Raffi Hovanissian, who was born in the United States and was
post-Soviet Armenia’s first foreign minister, was shown with 32
percent.

But while Mr. Sargysan’s victory has been predicted for months, there
have been some unexpected developments in the campaign. One
challenger, Andreas Ghukasian, a political commentator who manages a
radio station in the capital, Yerevan, has been on a hunger strike
demanding that Mr. Sargsyan be removed from the ballot.

Another challenger, Paruir A. Airikyan, was shot in the shoulder in
late January in what the authorities described as an assassination
attempt, although there was no known motive. Mr. Airikyan is a former
Soviet dissident who promoted Armenian independence and has run
unsuccessfully for president several times. He briefly considered
invoking a constitutional provision to delay the election for two
weeks as a result of his wound but ultimately decided to allow the
balloting to proceed.

Mr. Sargsyan’s expected second term will be watched closely for any
sign of progress in resolving the war with Azerbaijan, and for any
indication that Armenia is reducing support for economic sanctions
against Iran, as those sanctions make life more difficult in both
countries.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh continues at a simmer, with
periodic violence along the line of contact, including frequent
exchanges of gunfire and occasional casualties. Peace talks led by the
so-called Minsk Group, which is led by the United States, Russia and
France, have mostly stalled.

With the border with Turkey still closed because of historic
animosities and Turkey’s ties with Azerbaijan, Armenia has
traditionally relied heavily on Iran as an economic partner, but those
ties are now constrained by sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program.

Western powers accuse Tehran of seeking the technology to build
nuclear weapons, but Iran denies the charges. The suspicions about the
program have prompted the imposition of a broadening array of United
States, United Nations and European Union sanctions.

Armenia has supported the measures, while continuing to engage in
permissible economic activity, such as swapping electricity for
natural gas from Iran with no money changing hands.

“Having Iran as your economic lifeline is not a good position to be
in,” said a senior Western diplomat, who asked not to be identified
to avoid creating any tension with players in the region. “They have
been very, very careful, very, very good, at some cost to Armenia, to
honor international U.N., U.S. and E.U. sanctions against Iran. But
it’s increasingly difficult for them to do that.”

International election observers have fanned out across Armenia in
recent days. Initial reports suggested that Mr. Sargsyan’s party had
made some inappropriate use of government resources to promote his
candidacy, a common criticism of incumbent candidates in former Soviet
republics. But observers say the overall climate has improved, with
opposition candidates, for instance, enjoying better access to
coverage by the news media.

Armenia faces a peculiar problem when it comes to potential election
fraud because of the hundreds of thousands of Armenia citizens who
live abroad, including in the United States – one of the largest
diasporas in the world, by percentage, given Armenia’s population of
3.1 million, according to the World Bank.

With few exceptions, absentee voting is not permitted. As a result,
experts say, Armenia’s election rolls are filled with the names of
people who will not appear in person to vote, creating the potential
for fraudulent use of those names.

Mr. Sargsyan and his wife, Rita, paused on Monday to speak with
reporters after voting at School No. 24 in Yerevan.

“I have voted for the security of our citizens and our families,” he
said, according to aysor.am, an Armenian Internet news site.

From: A. Papazian

NIKOL PASHINYAN SAYS RESPONSIBLE POLITICAL FORCES MUST JOIN RAFFI HOVANNISIAN

NEWS.AM
February 20, 2013 | 18:39

YEREVAN.- Member of the opposition Armenian National Congress bloc,
MP Nikol Pashinyan said all political forces concerned over necessity
to establish rule of law in the country must join Raffi Hovannisian
without preconditions.

Speaking during a rally in the center of Yerevan, Pashinyan called
on the political forces “to fix de jure victory of Raffi Hovannisian.”

“Contrary to pessimistic forecasts, people elected their president on
February 18, 2013. Serzh Sargsyan tried to impose his understanding
of the elections which implies that opposition is only a background
for seizing power,” he said.

Pashinyan recalled the victims of March 1 events, following the
previous presidential vote in 2008, stating “we will not permit to
kill in our capital any longer.”

From: A. Papazian