Author: Andres-Papazian

THE COURT HEARING OF SEDRAK ZATIKYAN CASE POSTPONED

Tue, 01/15/2013 – 19:30

Because of the death of 31 year old Andranik Zatikyan, the hearing
of the case of murder of Sedrak Zatikyan, the other son of the former
Community Head of Malatsia community Vahan Zatikyan, was postponed.

The next court hearing is scheduled on January 22.

In Malatia-Sebastia Court of First instance of Yerevan, presided by
Judge Tigran Petrosyan, the case of murder of Sedrak Zatikyan is being
heard. According to the claim, Stepan Hakobyan with Narek Khachatryan,
because of the past quarrel with prior consent and bearing in mind
the revenge, financially supported and ordered Arsen Arustamyan to
murder Sedrak Zatikyan.

Besides this charge, Stepan Hakobyan is also charged with the illegal
obtaining of the bullets and theirillegal keeping them until June 23,
2006. According to the investigation, the bullets were found in his
house on that day.

Sedrak Zatikyan was killed on June 22, 2006 on intersection of Sebastia
and Tichina streets.

Author: Factinfo

From: A. Papazian

IVANISHVILI WILL VISIT YEREVAN DESPITE GEORGIA’S FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER’S “SCANDALOUS” STATEMENT

2013-01-15 19:51:09

Georgia’s Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili’s visit to Armenia will
not be postponed due to the scandal surrounding the Foreign Minister
Maya Panjikidze’s statement, told reporters on Tuesday, the Prime
Minister’s press service told the journalists on Tuesday.

On January 17 Ivanishvili leaves for Yerevan to meet with the President
and Prime Minister.

Yesterday there were rumors in Tbilisi that due to Panjikidze’s
statements made in Lithuania, Georgia’s Prime Minister’s visit to
Armenia was on the brink of collapse.

According to the Azerbaijani media, in Vilnius Panjikidze stated that
the regulation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was possible only
within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Thus, the statement
caused a negative reaction in Yerevan.

From: A. Papazian

DVIN HOTEL TO BE RE-OPENED IN 2016

TERT.AM
15.01.13

The completely renovated Dvin hotel will be re-opened in 2016,
Arman Sahakyan, Head of the State Property Management Department,
told journalists on Tuesday.

A new contract with the purchaser envisages fines for failing to
invest funds in the hotel, Mr Sahakyan said. He noted that the new
contract is in Armenia’s interests.

“This new contract with the purchaser is a serious legal document,”
Mr Sahakyan said.

From: A. Papazian

THE MECHANISM OF NEW POLITICAL SITUATION
Siranuysh Papyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

17:38 16/01/2013

Interview with Stepan Danielyan, head of Collaboration for Democracy
Centre NGO

Stepan, one of the candidates has stated that if Serzh Sargsyan is
elected, he will congratulate him. Does it mean everything is done
for the sake of Serzh Sargsyan’s legitimacy?

Serzh Sargsyan needs to take care of not only his future legitimacy
but also the legitimacy of his first term. The chapter of March 1 will
close only after the solution of this issue. From this point of view,
it is important that the participants of the campaign recognize him
as a president and congratulate him. Those who will congratulate
Sargsyan’s first term will automatically recognize his first term.

They will thus share responsibility for March 1. As far as I
understand, there are such moods among the candidates. Now the
political situation is such that we may claim that running in the
election is a way of entering into a dialogue with Serzh Sargsyan.

Stepan, is boycott the right way?

The right way of doing what? The question is why they participate in
the election if there are no elections as such? What issue is tackled?

If you are going to congratulate in the end, you assume responsibility
which I mentioned above. And if you participate in the election to
fight, there must be a clear message on what steps will follow if
the election is falsified again. The candidates need to answer these
questions and understand that time changes, and people’s consciousness
changes as well. I think some candidates want to prepare the ground for
their apolitical action but they also need to consider another option –
they may lose their reputation in the result of their participation
in such an election so that they will have to give up their public
activities forever. What is the cause of the final decay of the ANC? It
was their dialogue with the government by which they recognized the
aftermath of March 1. It was both a political and moral fiasco. The
same is happening now. I repeat that running in such elections was
a form of “dialogue” with all the ensuing consequences.

Stepan, aren’t the elections the only means of changing government?

The elections which do not exist, in fact, and nobody doubts it is
true, cannot be a means of changing government. On the contrary,
participation in such elections cannot be a means of not changing
the government. Such participation legitimizes the government. Not
running in such an event will help create a new political situation.

What is today’s political agenda? It is to restore the right of people
to form a government through elections. This is not a party process,
it is a fight for rights which requires another format, and the first
steps should be refusal of such events.

What will happen after February 18? Is formation of new elite possible?

Everything depends on us. One way or another, we’ll get what we
deserve.

From: A. Papazian

DOLLAR CONTINUES “WEAKENING” IN ARMENIA

news.am
January 16, 2013 | 16:09

The American national currency’s average exchange rate, against the
Armenian dram (AMD), comprised AMD 406/$1 at NASDAQ OMX Armenia stock
exchange on Wednesday; this is a 0.11-percent-or an AMD 0.45-drop
from the previous trading session on Tuesday.

Wednesday’s sales totaled $3.5 million at the stock exchange, and
all transactions were conducted with the same exchange rate.

In Armenia’s cash foreign currency market, the dollar’s buying
and selling exchange rates stabilized at the AMD 405-407/$1 range
respectively.

From: A. Papazian

PRESIDENT: ARMENIA AND KARABAKH DO NOT WANT WAR, BUT WILL RESPOND ANY CHALLENGE

YEREVAN, January 16. /ARKA/. Armenia and Artsakh (Armenian name of
Karabakh) do not want a war, but everyone should know they will give
a fitting rebuff to any challenge thrown down, Armenian president
Serzh Sargsyan said.

“From now on the population of Artsakh will never face the threat of
physical extermination, and Armenia will be the guarantor of it. It
is Artsakh people who will determine the fate of Artsakh, and it
is recognized in the international law and numerous international
documents. Hence, full participation of Karabakh authorities in the
negotiations is becoming dictates of the time,” Sargsyan said in his
speech at an extended meeting of Armenian ministry of defence.

The president pointed out that the South Caucasus could develop in a
harmonic way and could become an ideal partnership model if all the
states of the region had the same system of values, the same intentions
in terms of state-building and the same development objectives.

“But if your neighbour has another, a contrary system of values,
it jeopardizes your state seriously,” he said.

The president stressed that the Azeri war-encouraging regime may
undertake a military gamble every day, every moment.

“I believe our neighbour understands well that a war will be a disaster
for both Armenia and equally, if not more, for Azerbaijan.

But I don’t think today’s leaders of Azerbaijan are concerned about
the fate of their people. They will be ready to resume the war, once
they believe they will have an absolute advantage over Armenia and if
it will be required for drawing attention away from internal problems,”
Sargsyan said.

Armenian president pointed out that Armenia’s approaches in the
negotiations are reasonable and balanced and take into account the
need for sustainable and peaceful development in the region, Sargsyan
said. Yet, Armenia should continue its efforts toward stronger state
and army, developed democracy, protected citizens and prosperity for
guaranteeing the peace, the president said.

The Karabakh conflict started in 1988 when prevailingly Armenian
population of Nagorno-Karabakh declared withdrawal from Azerbaijan. On
December 10, 1991, a referendum was held in Nagorno-Karabakh where
99.89% voted for independence from Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan responded by large-scale military operations that led
to loss of control not only over Nagorno-Karabakh itself, but also
over seven adjoining areas. About 25-30 thousands people were killed
and about a million had to leave their homes during the military
operations.

A trilateral cease-fire agreement was signed on May 12, 2004, and has
been followed since then. The ongoing Karabakh peace process started
in 1992 under auspices of OSCE Minsk Group. -0-

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN CHURCHES OF UKRAINE TO COMMEMORATE VICTIMS OF BAKU POGROMS

news.am
January 16, 2013 | 13:32

Memorial services to victims of Armenian pogroms in Baku will be held
in all Armenian churches of Ukraine.

Head of Ukrainian diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop
Grigoris Buniatian told Analitika.at.ua that memorial services will
be held on January 20.

Armenian pogroms in Baku started on January 13, 1990 and lasted seven
days. Members of a 200-thousand Armenian community was tortured and
exiled from the capital Azerbaijan only due to their ethnicity.

According to the Human Rights Watch reporter Robert Kushen said the
action was not entirely spontaneous, as the attackers had lists of
Armenians and their addresses.

From: A. Papazian

GEORGIAN PM DUE IN ARMENIA ON JANUARY 17

14:28 16.01.2013

The delegation headed by Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili
will arrive in Armenia on January 17.

The Georgian PM is scheduled to meet with Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
All Armenians, as well as the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Economy,
Energy and Natural Resources.

Bidzina Ivanishvili will visit Tsitsernakaberd to pay tribute to
the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims. He’s expected to visit
Matenadaran, as well.

The Prime Ministers of Armenia and Georgia will give a joint press
conference.

From: A. Papazian

CHAPEL OF VARDASHEN PRISON CONSECRATED

Aysor.am
January 16, 2013

The newly-built Surb Hovhannes Mkrtich Chapel in Vardashen prison of
the Ministry of Justice was consecrated by Bishop Ter Artak Tigranian
on January 14.

The chapel’s icons, which some of the prison inmates had made with
their own hands, were also consecrated. Following the consecration, the
inmates lit candles and offered prayers to God, the press service of
the Criminal Executive Department of the Ministry of Justice reports.

From: A. Papazian

HAK REPRESENTS DANGER FOR AUTHORITIES?

Aysor.am
January 16, 2013

The Armenian National Congress (HAK) is not running in the
presidential election, it does not enjoy as much public support as
it did previously, but why are the authorities trying to weaken this
political force? When asked this question, Lyudmila Sargsyan told
“Aravot”daily: “I think the authorities are aware of HAK’s weight and
capabilities and they are therefore concerned about the post-election
processes as well and the danger that HAK may gain momentum. I believe
that in the current political field, HAK continues to be the only
dangerous force for authorities because HAK is capable of getting
support of broad masses at the right moment”.

From: A. Papazian