Author: Andres-Papazian

ARMENIANS, ALEVIS, SYRIACS, KURDS, AND YEZIDIS TO BOYCOTT TURKISH PM’S VISIT TO GERMANY

news.am
October 30, 2012 | 15:06

“We call upon the national organizations functioning in Germany to
join the joint demonstration,” the Central Board of German Armenians
stated in its message that is issued in connection with Turkish PM
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Berlin.

The Board will organize a demonstration on Wednesday in downtown Berlin
and demand from Erdogan to improve the situation of Turkey’s national
minorities. In line with the Board’s preliminary information, aside
from the Armenians, the Alevis, Syriacs, Kurds, and Yezidis likewise
will be on hand at this protest.

Prior to Erdogan’s visit, the Central Board of German Armenians had
addressed a letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and sounded an
alarm on Turkey’s policy of Islamization.

To note, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday is heading to
the German capital city for a two-day working visit.

From: A. Papazian

35,000 AMD ENOUGH TO ADDRESS SOCIAL NEEDS

Country – Tuesday, 30 October 2012, 15:20

The new minimum wage of AMD 35,000 is enough to address social needs,
said the head of the NA standing committee on social affairs Hakob
Hakobyan.

“The increase is enough. It is up by 11% which corresponds to the
inflation rate of the past two years,” he said.

Hakob Hakobyan says that compared with last year the poverty index
almost has not changed.

“The state which is to solve social issues should keep its indices
at the level which is not bad than the previous year. In other words,
we have taken into account this year’s price increase and predictions
for 2013. So, we are going to boost the minimum wage by 3500 AMD to
be able to keep the poverty index of 2012 till December 2013.”

From: A. Papazian

TOURISM CAN STRENGTHEN INTERCULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

Travel Daily News International
Oct 30 2012

Lina Rokou – 30 October 2012, 08:53

The Conference debated topics ranging from the balance between the
integration of universal values in responsible tourism with the
preservation of core cultural values, to the protection of cultural
heritage sites and the links between tourism and intangible cultural
heritage.

There is a need for increased recognition of tourism’s role in
strengthening intercultural understanding and mutual respect. This
is one of the conclusions and calls for action reached by tourism
officials, heads of leading tourism companies and representatives from
international organizations meeting at a UNWTO conference in Armenia
(Yerevan, Armenia, 18-19 October 2012).

“The one billion travelers that cross international borders each
year translate into opportunities for intercultural dialogue and
understanding, tolerance and respect; the building blocks of universal
values,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, opening the
International Conference on ‘Universal Values and Cultural Diversity
in the 21st Century: How can tourism make a difference?’.

Concluding the Conference, participants adopted the Yerevan Declaration
highlighting the role of tourism in advancing intercultural dialogue
and understanding.

“In line with the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, the Yerevan
Declaration not only underscores the vital role tourism plays in
fostering intercultural understanding, it also sets out the steps
that all actors need to take to further strengthen this role,” said Mr.

Rifai.

These steps include avoiding the over-commodification of local
cultural heritage, encouraging community-based tourism projects, and
the training of tourism staff on how to involve local communities in
tourism development.

On the occasion of the Conference, five of Armenia’s most prominent
tourism companies signed the Private Sector Commitment to the UNWTO
Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. Representatives of Armenia Marriott
Hotel Yerevan, ARM Hotels, Tufenkian Hospitality, the Union of Incoming
Tour Operators of Armenia (UITO) and Zvartnots Armenia International
Airports, signed the Commitment in the presence of the Minister of
Economy of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Tigran Davtyan, and Mr. Rifai.

In signing the Commitment, the five enterprises joined the ever growing
list of private sector companies and associations that have publicly
pledged to uphold, promote and implement the values advocated by the
Code of Ethics.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN PM: “2013 SHOULD BE DECISIVE FOR IMPROVING THE INVESTMENT CLIMATE”

Mediamax
Oct 30 2012
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said today
that the government has four main objectives of 2013 state budget.

Mediamax reports that presenting the daft state budget for 2013
in the Armenian National Assembly today, Tigran Sargsyan said that
the basic goals are the preservation of the economic growth, social
policy, improvement of business and investment environment as well
as provision of microeconomic stability.

The PM also noted that in terms of social policy the government will
adopt the strategy of provision of education, work and training for
socially vulnerable levels of the population.

“Next year, we intend to increase the number of people using social
packages by 30 000. We will focus on all the families in need,”
the head of the government said.

Tigran Sargsyan also noted that the government s going to expand
export volumes and continue the policy aimed at the provision of
economic growth.

According to him, 2013 should become a decisive year for the
improvement of business and investment climate in the country.”

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT DENIES SHARE SALE DEAL WITH RUSSIAN ENERGY GIANT
by : Andrew Neff

Global Insight
October 29, 2012

Armenian energy and natural resources minister Armen Movsisyan
on 24 October rejected an allegation by the country’s political
opposition that the government has sold its remaining 20% stake in
Armenia’s monopoly gas importer and distributor ArmRosGazprom (ARG)
to Russia’s Gazprom. Levon Zurabyan, head of the parliamentary faction
of the oppositional Armenian National Congress (HAK), claimed during
a parliamentary session on 24 October that the government had cut what
amounts to a secret deal with Gazprom, agreeing to sell Armenia’s 20%
stake in ARG to the Russian gas firm in exchange for a commitment by
Gazprom – which already owns the remaining 80% of ARG – to leave the
gas price for Armenian household consumers unchanged until March 2013.

ARKA News Agency reported that Zurabyan alleged that the government
has kept the agreement quiet in order to avoid turmoil before Armenia’s
next presidential election, which is due in February 2013.

Movsisyan denied the allegation, saying that, “at the moment, no
such decision was made,” adding that negotiations with Gazprom are
proceeding behind closed doors as Armenia seeks to clinch a new gas
supply agreement with Gazprom, which is Armenia’s sole supplier.

Significance:The explosive allegation by Zurabyan could heighten
tension in the run-up to Armenia’s presidential election, even as
Movsisyan has sought to dismiss the claim as baseless. The notion that
the government has sold its stake in ARG to Gazprom for a deal to keep
prices frozen for domestic consumers until after the election plays
into the idea that the government is playing politics with Armenia’s
gas prices, aiming to forestall a seemingly inevitable increase in
Armenia’s import price (and the onward price for end-users), since
Gazprom has held prices for Armenia frozen at USD180 per 1,000 cubic
metres (cm) since 1 April 2010. A price increase could see Armenia
paying as much as USD320 per 1,000cm for its gas supplies from Russia.

Armenia imported 1.3225 bcm of gas from Russia in the first of this
year, up 24.3% year-on-year. Interestingly, shortly after the claims
and counter-claims of the share sale, the Armenian government stated
that following bilateral negotiations with Iran, it will be looking
into increasing the amount of imported Iranian gas. Questions remain,
however, about Iran’s capacity to export more to Armenia and whether
the Russian-led ARG would agree to import Iranian gas which could
potentially undermine Russian bid to increase the gas price for
Armenia in the future.

From: A. Papazian

WINGS OF TATEV EMERGENCY: COMPANY SAYS AERIAL TRAMWAY WORK DISRUPTION CAUSED BY THUNDER STORM
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN

ArmeniaNow
29.10.12 | 11:21

A company managing the aerial tramway in a popular tourist site in
southern Armenia said bad weather conditions interfered in the normal
operation of the facility that resulted in dozens of passengers being
stuck in two cars 18 meters above the ground for several hours Sunday
afternoon.

The evacuation of all 41 passengers on the Wings of Tatev tramway
cars in Halidzor in southern Armenia was conducted by a Ministry of
Emergency Situations (MES) rescue team together with TaTever (Wings
of Tatev) company personnel. None of them was reported hurt after
spending more than three hours in suspense.

An MES statement said among the passengers were 18 women and seven
children; 17 of the passengers were foreign citizens.

The TaTever company later also issued a statement, saying that the
cableway facility stopped its operation not because of a technical
fault but because it had been programmed to do so in case of
unfavorable weather conditions.

An abrupt change of weather with subsequent thunderstorm was observed
in the Syunik province of Armenia that day.

The company said that all passengers had been provided with temporary
accommodation, food and psychological aid. Police and ambulance
service workers were also on standby to render assistance if necessary,
it said.

This is not the first time an emergency is reported on the
5.7-kilometer-long aerial tramway that was inaugurated in 2010 and
claims to be the longest similar facility in the world.

On October 24, 2010, about a week after the launch of the cableway,
some 50 passengers spent about 40 minutes in suspense in the cars
above the gorge. One of the passengers then was Syunik Governor Surik
Khachatryan. The company then blamed the suspension on technical
faults.

The TaTever cable car travels at a speed of 37 kilometers per hour
and a one-way journey takes 11 minutes. At its highest point over
the gorge, the car travels 320 m (1,050 ft) above ground level.

From: A. Papazian

OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF PUBLIC RADIO OF ARMENIA JOINS MEDIAGID.AM NATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM

Public Radio of Armenia
13:10 29.10.2012

The official website of the Public Radio of Armenia ()
has joined , the first national information system
in Armenia.

All Media CJSC launched the first in Armenia news aggregator at
on November 30, 2010. With this joining the number of
participants of the resource has reached 30. Membership applications
of another ten resources are under consideration presently.

MediaGid is an automatic news processing and systematization system,
which analyzes incoming data by a special program that brings together
news reports similar in content breaking them into categories. The news
stories on are provided by the system’s partners-
Armenian media outlets. The main principles of the system are
efficiency, timeliness, accessibility and impartiality.

The website receives up to 1,300 pieces of information
daily in three languages: Armenian, Russian and English, which are
updated round the clock in real time mode.

The national information system MediaGid has developed a special
partnership program for media, enabling them to increase the number
of visitors to their websites and expand their audiences. The program
is designed for news agencies, electronic versions of print media,
TV and radio websites, as well as networking and special editions.

From: A. Papazian

US PRESIDENTS SHOW LEVEL OF AMERICAN ETHICS IN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE – ANALYSTS

news.am
October 29, 2012 | 13:39

YEREVAN. – The US presidents show the level of American ethics with
respect to the Armenian Genocide issue, Regional Studies Center
Director, political analyst Richard Giragosian said during a press
conference on Monday.

“In the election campaign, the two US presidential nominees have not
yet touched upon the genocide issue. So, in the US version, we need to
exert greater efforts toward the restoration of historical justice,”
he noted.

At the same time Giragosian stressed that the Armenian lobby in the
United States is stepping up its activities toward the US recognition
of the Armenian Genocide. As per the analyst, this process will become
more widespread by 2015 because the 100th anniversary of the Genocide
will be marked on that year.

“I am convinced that several countries will discuss the matter of
recognizing the Armenian Genocide, and this will be a new challenge
for Turkey which obstructs, in every way, the restoration of historical
justice,” Richard Giragosian maintained.

From: A. Papazian

PRESENTATION CEREMONY IN STUTTGART

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
2012-10-25 19:09

Within the Days of Armenian Culture, the presentation of the book
of Artsakh: the Garden of Armenian Culture and Traditions took place
in the capital city of Stuttgart, state of Baden-Wurttemberg, German
Federative Republic. The ceremony was initiated by the NKR Permanent
Mission to Germany and supported by the local Armenian community

German historian, Dr. Peter Halfter was the keynote speaker at the
ceremony. He briefed on the significant periods of the history
of Artsakh, on the historical and architectural monuments of
Tsitsernavank, Amaras, Gandzasar, and Dadivank, as well as emphasized
the importance of the excavations of the ancient city of Tigranakert.
At the end of the ceremony, Dr. Halfter touched upon the negotiation
process on the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani
conflict. NKR Permanent Representative to Germany Harutyun Grigorian
answered the questions of the event participants.

From: A. Papazian

IN THE SEARCH OF NONEXISTENT ARGUMENTS BAKU TRIES TO STIFLE THE BUDAPEST SCANDAL WITH AN ANTI-AVIATION WAVE

Monday, 29 October 2012 10:19

The issue of the possible reopening of the Stepanakert airport
has recently re-actualization. With the submission of Baku, which,
as we know, fiercely opposes the opening of the airport and even
threatened to shoot down civil aircrafts flying over the NKR territory,
the issue has again become a subject of discussion, including at
the international level. What are the reasons that the last-year
‘anti-aviation’ wave raised by Azerbaijan, which seemed to somewhat
subside, has acquired, so to say so, its second life?

This is, perhaps, partly explained by a recent air dispute between
Turkey and Syria related to the Turkish Air Force fighter jets’
interception of a Syrian civil plane flying from Moscow to Damascus,
which was forced to land in Ankara for allegedly transporting “uncivil
cargo”. As a result, Damascus closed Syrian airspace for passenger
planes of Turkey. The example seemed to be contagious – just this
period, Ankara issued a threat to close the Turkish airspace for
Armenian aircrafts, which, according to experts, was done under the
pressure of Baku, which was concerned about the possible resumption
of the airport in the NKR capital town.

Still, we think that the main reason of reanimation of the issue of
the Stepanakert airport was the pardon and glorification of Safarov
in Azerbaijan, or more strictly, the negative consequences of this
step for the country. The shameful action of the Baku authorities,
which received considerable resonance in the world and was flatly
condemned, dealt a serious blow to the image of Azerbaijan, which was
accused by many international organizations and the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs of undermining the negotiations process on the peaceful
settlement of the Karabakh conflict. In this situation, the Baku
regime immediately rushed to find an argument that, as it thought,
would create “parity charges” and would balance the condemnation of
the Azerbaijani and Armenian parties by the international community.

In the view of official Baku, the upcoming exploitation of
the Stepanakert airport can serve such as an argument, which the
Azerbaijani diplomacy immediately added to its armory. A representative
of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry called the flights in and out of
Stepanakert illegal and said that the OSCE Minsk Group states “must
prevent such provocative actions”. As usual, Baku involved Ankara in
its “anti-aviation” campaign. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
noted that the opening of the airport in Stepanakert would negatively
impact the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “We
do not believe that this step will give a positive result, and the
issue should be resolved in the framework of international law”,
said the Foreign Minister of Turkey. We’d also like to add that,
according to the European Union Special Representative for the South
Caucasus Philippe Lefort, the opening of the airport in Stepanakert
is the focus of the EU attention.

The situation stubbornly created by Azerbaijan can be confidently
considered a theater of absurd. It is not only because Safarov’s
brutal murder of the sleeping Armenian officer cannot be put on a
par with the launch of the airport. It is evident that the opening
of the airport does not pose any threat to either Azerbaijan or the
negotiation process. The operation of this civilian structure will be
one of the important conditions for sustained development of the NKR,
the social and economic infrastructure of which was destroyed by the
armed aggression of Azerbaijan. In addition, it will provide the right
of the Republic’s population to free movement, which, by the way, in
accordance with international documents, can be enjoyed by all the
people, regardless of their citizenship – that of a recognized or
unrecognized state. Besides, what are the references of Azerbaijan
and Turkey to international law, while a document on direct flights
between the Turkish Northern Cyprus and Baku is prepared to be signed,
and several airlines have flights from North Cyprus to many countries?

And Northern Cyprus is not recognized either by the international
community or even by Azerbaijan itself.

Now let’s speak of the purely negotiation process and the possible
negative impact that the restart of the Stepanakert airport can have
on it, which the Azerbaijani-Turkish tandem keeps stating. It is
obvious to many that the basic obstacle to the peaceful settlement
of the Karabakh conflict was and is just Azerbaijan. Do any of the
international mediators really think that if we remove the issue of
opening the airport from the agenda, the agreement on the Karabakh
conflict will become possible? Surely, not. Baku has already proved
its inability to negotiate and to fulfill its commitments assumed
within the negotiation process. Moreover, it is not even interested in
the stability in the region, which is called for by the international
mediators, and thus it permanently aggravates the tension on the Line
of Contact between the conflicting parties. Because as the price for
stability, it requires that the international players, involved in
the regional processes, resolve the Karabakh issue purely in the
interests of Azerbaijan. And the regular attack of ‘aerophobia’
also fits into this scenario.

Leonid MARTIROSSIAN

Editor-in-Chief of Azat Artsah newspaper

From: A. Papazian