Author: Andres-Papazian

AAHPO Holds Family Style Get-Together
by Florence Avakian

November 15, 2012

By Florence Avakian

NEW YORK – On Friday evening, Oct. 12, more than 65 members of the
Armenian American Health Professional Organization (AAHPO) held a
family style get-together at the new Byblos restaurant in New York to
renew friendships, provide the latest information on the progress of
the group, and meet new members and aid them in their quest for
positions. In addition to medical doctors, pharmacists, nutritionists,
nurses, and dentists, engineers, lawyers, and businessmen also
attended to support the cause.

Founded in 1994, the AAHPO represents more than 450 healthcare
professionals of every stripe. It not only provides information and
help for thousands of Armenians in the U.S., but has expanded its
program, conducting its first medical mission to Armenia in 2011, when
15 volunteers visited various clinics and treated patients.

On Oct. 12, the dynamic president of AAHPO for the last three years,
Dr. Larry Najarian, welcomed the crowd in his typically enthusiastic
manner, and reviewed the recent highlights of the organization. Dr.
Khoren Nalbandian, a founder of AAHPO, emphasized that `one of the
missions of the organization is its networking program,’ which has
been responsible for helping thousands of Armenians with their medical
needs, and for assisting a number of interns and residents find
medical positions. `Never underestimate the power of our individual
skills,’ he said, adding, `We’ve trained 60 physicians, have taught
thousands, and are reaching tens of thousands of people.’

Dr. Raffyi Hovanessian, who has been on medical missions to Armenia 27
times, in his decisive manner took center stage. `Our mission is to
improve health care awareness, and to help our brethren in Armenia,’
he announced. Dr. Arthur Kubikian and Dr. Aram Cazazian reiterated
this message by emphasizing that AAHPO’s primary mission is to
`disseminate our knowledge with the public, through different
technologies, including television.’

In a warm atmosphere, the event started off with all present
introducing themselves and describing their area of expertise. It
became apparent that there was a large contingent of doctors from
Armenia.

Dangerous situation

Dr. Kim Hekimian has worked with the American University of Armenia
(AUA) for several years, concentrating her work on improving public
health in Armenia, with a focus on infant nutrition and tobacco
control. The nutritional status in Armenia of children up to age five
is `chronic malnutrition which, when measured as short height for age,
is called stunting,’ Hekimian revealed. `There is also the problem of
obesity, diabetes, and non-communicable diseases, which is
overwhelming the Armenian population. Non-communicable diseases
account for 90 percent of all deaths in Armenia.’

Smoking is one of the most severe public health problems in Armenia
today, Hekimian continued, with 63 percent of males, and 2 percent of
females as self-identified smokers; the latter figure, she pointed
out, is not entirely accurate, as women do not readily admit to this
vice. In the general adult population, she noted that `50 percent have
high blood pressure, 56 percent are overweight, and 24 percent are
obese.’ And there is also the problem of `over nutrition’ – eating the
wrong foods that bring on disease. With the increase in poverty, an
educational program is sorely needed. Lacking is a public awareness
program. In addition, very few graduates of the AUA go into public
health,’ she said, painting a depressing scenario.

Tobacco epidemic

Dr. Arusyak Haroutyunyian, through a video presentation, concentrated
her talk on the `tobacco epidemic’ that is driven by the Armenian
tobacco industry. `Tobacco is very cheap and is everywhere. Smokers
can lose 17 years of their life due to this vice,’ she pointed out. In
Armenia, 22 percent of all deaths are attributable to smoking. In
addition, there is the problem of second-hand smoke affecting
children. Fifty-four percent of households have at least one family
member who smokes.

Armenia is 1 of 40 countries to have signed an international framework
on tobacco control, Haroutyunyian said. In 2004, the Armenian
Parliament passed the National Tobacco Control Law. She stressed that
there should be no smoking in hospitals and universities, and
currently there is no restriction on smoking in restaurants, bars, and
on public transportation. The major causes of death in Armenia are
heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Youth involvement

But all the news is not negative. Over the last 10 years, there has
been some progress with an advocacy campaign, and the first conference
on `Tobacco Health’ was held in 2010. But the best achievement was the
involvement of the youth who are now actively involved in collecting
cigarette butts in the parks. `We have to work with the youth, and the
leadership of the country,’ said Haroutyunyian with great emphasis.

The warm atmosphere of the evening continued long after the
presentations, as members, some of whom had traveled from other
states, enjoyed networking and catching up.

From: A. Papazian

Armenian Chamber of Advocates member is killed

NEWS.AM
November 19, 2012 | 10:42

YEREVAN. – A murder took place Sunday in a village close to Armenia’s
Vanadzor city.

Armenian News-NEWS.am received information, on late Sunday night,
notifying that a dead body – with traces of violence – was discovered in a
restaurant in Shahumyan village. According to the information, an
argument had started between the restaurant patrons, and one of them
had stabbed another client several times and, as a result, the latter
died on the spot.

The Police press service confirmed this information by Armenian
News-NEWS.am, and added that the victim was capital city Yerevan
resident Samvel Sharbatyan, who was born in 1963.

A forensic medical examination is commissioned.

To note, Sharbatyan was a member of the Chamber of Advocates of Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

APA, Azerbaijan
Nov 17 2012

Azerbaijani Cossacks declare their readiness to participate in
military operations against Armenian invaders

[ 16 November 2012 16:09 ]

Baku. Anakhanim Hidayatova – APA. `Azerbaijani Cossacks are always
ready to defend their motherland’, said head of the Union of Cossacks
of Azerbaijan Viktor Mereshkin at the press conference today. He said
that if the start military operations restarted against the invaders,
they were ready to attend with a Cossack regiment of 500, and involve
four regiments of Don Cossacks’ troops in battles.

Mereshkin also noted that Azerbaijani Cossacks believe the peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict: `But we are ready to obey
the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s orders’.

From: A. Papazian

FARS News Agency, Iran
November 17, 2012 Saturday

Armenia Severely Affected by Western Sanctions against Iran

TEHRAN (FNA)- The western sanctions against Iran have had dire
consequences for Armenia, including an acute shortage of food and
agricultural products in the country, the Armenian media said.

According to a report by the Armenian MIR TV, the western sanctions
have caused a halt in the supply of polymeric raw material from Iran
to Armenia for the past two weeks, which entails negative consequences
for the country’s agricultural sector and processing industry.

The report also said that tens of companies and factories in Armenia
were shut down due to the shortage of raw materials which were
imported from Iran. Meanwhile, exporting these products from other
countries will take about 30-40 days, which will likely result in a
hike in prices and lower quality.

Also, Armenia is faced with a shortage of sulfuric acid and caustic
materials used for water purification due to the western sanctions
against Iran, added the report.

The Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen (Employers) of Armenia
(UMBEA) has addressed Prime Minster Tigran Sargsyan with a request to
help resolve the problem, it said.

In recent years, Iran and its Northern neighbor Armenia have boosted
cooperation, signed agreements on energy cooperation and agreed to
cooperate in technology and research and to enhance ties in commerce
and economy.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Armenian counterpart
pledged in December 2011 to further expand “high-level relations”
between their nations and, in particular, give new impetus to the
implementation of joint energy projects that have fallen behind
schedule.

In early October, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and his
Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian met at the UN Headquarters in
New York to discuss bilateral ties and regional and international
issues.

From: A. Papazian

Defendant’s health got bad

Fri, 11/16/2012 – 18:25

On June 17 Garik Soghomonyan started giving testimonies in the Court
of Avan and Nor Norq administrative districts of Yerevan under the
presidency of the Judge Davit Haroutyunyan on the case of the trial of
the assault in `Harsnaqar’ restaurant. Apparently his testimonies and
Artak Bayadyan’s testimonies who gave them earlier in the court were
the same.

Thus, victim Vahe Avetyan was warned about the dress code, i.e. `we do
not allow inside in sport clothes’, afterwards Vahe Avetyan was
aggressively invited out by the waiter Davit Adamyan. The victim
Soghomonyan having left the hall a little later saw Vahe Avetyan with
his first beat.

According to the victim, Norayr Hayrapetyan lectured the waiter,
assured them that the waiter will be punished and said, `let’s walk
that way and talk’ and accompanied them to the parking.

Here `they rapidly started beating, everyone was randomly beating, I
was not able to see who was beating whom’. They were many, around
15-20 people, among them 6 defendants on the case, there was no one to
separate them. He lost consciousness, after coming to mind he saw
unconscious Vahe Avetyan. He was immediately transferred to the
hospital where in the elevator V. Avetyan stopped breathing.

Attorneys of four out of six defendants mediated to get the tape with
the trail recording, but the court rejected the motion, because the
victim was in the presence of advocates and there is no need of it.
The court also assured that the data carriers will be given in the end
of the trial.

Interrogation of defensive party was interrupted because health of
defendant Arman Khachatryan got bad because of dizziness and nausea.
The Judge said that emergency aid brigade will be called and the trail
was postponed until 20 November.

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Factinfo.am

From: A. Papazian

Psychologist: No coordinated consulting offered to prostitutes in Armenia

TERT.AM
20:16 – 18.11.12

Prostitutes in Armenia are not offered any coordinated consulting
services by psychologists, says a specialist.

Speaking to Tert.am, Karine Nalchajyan explained that the
psychologists’ work with this group of women is strictly individual.

`But there something very delicate about those psychological services.
We cannot work with them unless they turn to us. So, a psychologist’s
assistance is possible only in cases when the situation is critical
enough to make an intervention necessary,’ she said.

The psychologist noted that a demand for prostitutes has always been
actual, with men often wishing to realize their sex fantasies out of
family.

`For a husband, the wife often becomes a sacred creature in a sense,
the mother of his children who plays several roles. So no wonder,
husbands often refer to their wives as the mother of their children,’
she explained.

The specialist said it is important for women to be good wives for
their husbands, treating them with tenderness also in intimate life.

`Men often resent their wives especially after the birth of children.
With the entire attention centered on the child, they feel themselves
ignored. The woman at this point comes to be perceived only as a
mother,’ she added.

Nalchajyan stressed the importance of keeping sensualities bright and
never losing attractiveness for a spouse.

`A man does not normally seek a connection outside of his home. Or,
not having a female partner, he may need to satisfy certain
physiological demands. Hence, brothels may perform such a function,’
she said, noting that a man attending brothels can demand everything
from a sex worker.

But men do not normally seek an intercourse with such women in case
things in the family are all right, the specialist said, adding that
decent males often treat prostitutes’ services with disgust.

From: A. Papazian

U.S. denies visas to Iranians heading for UN meeting – report

November 18, 2012 – 11:05 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The United States has denied visas to Iranian
officials hoping to attend a UN meeting in New York, Reuters reported
citing Iran’s state news agency.
The Iranian judiciary’s Human Rights Headquarters said in a statement
that the United States denied visas to members of an Iranian
delegation that planned to travel to a meeting of the United Nations’
Third Committee, which focuses on social issues and human rights,
state news agency IRNA said.
“The U.S. government, by not issuing visas to the members of the
delegation, wants to ruin the possibility of the presence of the
delegation, and prevent its members from conducting their mission of
interacting and cooperating with the United Nations,” said the
statement, according to IRNA.
The judiciary body urged UN officials to warn the United States
against such decisions and remind it of its obligations as UN host
country, IRNA reported. According to Reuters, it did not say how many
Iranian officials had applied for visas from the United States or when
they wanted to travel.
In September, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that the U.S. had
denied visas to about 20 government officials hoping to attend the UN
General Assembly, including two ministers, although President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad did attend and addressed the assembly.
At the time, a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity, said:
“Visas for foreign officials to attend UN meetings in the UN
headquarters district are adjudicated in accordance with all
applicable laws and procedures including both U.S. law and the UN
Headquarters Agreement, however, visa records are confidential.”

From: A. Papazian

Aram Sargsyan Predicts the Outcome of the Prosperous Armenia Party
(PAP) Consultations

NOVEMBER 16, 2012 22:15

With regard to what outcome the series of consultations with
political forces initiated by the PAP would have, Aram Sargsyan, the
leader of the Republic Party, made the following prediction during a
conversation with , `There are many options, which may
take place after consultations. For example, knowing Serzh Sargsyan,
being aware of the similarities between the PAP and the Republican
Party of Armenia (RPA), I don’t rule out that after these
consultations, Serzh Sargsyan will state that since forces represented
in the National Assembly have put forward such an idea, and he is also
the leader of the parties that expressed that idea, he is the head of
state, although he is against it, he promises that if he is elected,
after the election, he will hold a referendum on that issue. And he
will be the guarantor that those people who are against changing the
presidential system of government can say nay and those who are for
say yea. In my opinion, this will be enough for the PAP to state that
Serzh Sargsyan has met its demand, and it will endorse Serzh Sargsyan.
It will satisfy the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) too. They
are ideological people, they will be glad that their idea was heard
and will go on as they did after the 2007 parliamentary election, as
they did in 2003, endorsing Robert Kocharyan. At the end of the day,
political forces that are responsible for the current situation, it is
not right to leave that responsibility on paper, the Constitution.
That book has its meaning too.’ In response to our question what
problem the Armenian National Congress (ANC) would solve, according to
him, by consulting and cooperating with the PAP, Aram Sargsyan said:
`You know, politics is the art of consultation. It is desirable to
engage in politics without confrontations and try to convince every
force. I wouldn’t like to comment on the approach of the ANC. I
expressed my approach to the ANC at the time. I see solutions in those
processes, but I wouldn’t like to talk about that, because they will
say afterwards, `They were against, they impeded’ etc. Let them try.
Let them take their time. Let them try.’ Aram Sargsyan himself is for
a presidential system of government: `The situation in the country
after the events of October 27 was very difficult, and I became the
Prime Minister in that situation. I can say that the semi-presidential
system has proved to be good. I, as a man, as an individual, think
that the fully presidential system is better for Armenia. And I don’t
think that a change in mechanisms of governance will solve vicious
phenomena in Armenia. It is not so.’

Hripsime JEBEJYAN

From: A. Papazian

Tawadros II installed as Coptic pope in Egypt

November 18, 2012 – 14:33 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Coptic Orthodox church staged a ceremony rich in
ritual on Sunday, Nov 18, to install its pope, Tawadros II, who
Christians hope will guide them through the new, Islamist-led Egypt,
according to Reuters.
The 60-year-old pope was picked on November 4 and the ceremony on
Sunday filled with incense, elaborate robes and chanting marked his
formal ascendance as the 118th leader of the church.
Coptic Christians, whose church predates the arrival of Islam in
Egypt, make up a tenth of Egypt’s 83 million people.
Many fear their community, the biggest Christian group in the Middle
East which has long complained of discrimination, will be squeezed to
the sidelines of society under Islamists now ruling the
Muslim-majority nation.
President Mohamed Mursi, propelled to power by the Muslim Brotherhood,
did not attend the ceremony in the cathedral in Cairo’s Abbasiya
district to the dismay of some Christians who said it undermined his
claim to be a leader for all Egyptians.
But he sent his prime minister, Hisham Kandil. Other officials and
dignitaries also attended.
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From: A. Papazian

DEG provided Ameriabank with 20 million US dollars for SME lending

news.am
November 16, 2012 | 18:41

YEREVAN.- Ameriabank CJSC and DEG -Deutsche Investitions-und
Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH have concluded a USD 20 million loan
agreement.

An eight-year loan facility will be dedicated to financing small and
medium-sized enterprise (SME) projects of Ameriabank’s Corporate and
SME clientele, bank’s press service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

`This is another remarkable achievement which we celebrate with our
long-standing partner DEG and we are pleased to see this partnership
evolving into a strategic one. The loan agreement will allow us to
continue financing the SME sector, one of the main drivers of the
Armenian economy. Under this loan facility small and medium
enterprises will be able to obtain long-term financing to expand their
businesses, strengthen their competitiveness and create new jobs’, –
commented Artak Hanesyan, the General Director.

`SMEs are a major engine behind economic growth. This is why the
promotion of these enterprises is a matter of particular concern to
DEG. With our commitment, we enable our experienced and reliable
partner Ameriabank to further expand its financial offer. At the same
time, we are fostering the Armenian financial sector, facilitating the
access to long-term investment capital especially for small and
medium-sized enterprises,’said Dr. Andreas Zeisler, Director
Financial Institutions.

From: A. Papazian