Author: Andres-Papazian

IRAN-ARMENIAN JOINT PROJECTS DISCUSSED IN YEREVAN

Trend
Oct 24 2012
Azerbaijan

Yerevan hosts meeting of the Armenian-Iranian intergovernmental
commission, Mediamax reports.

Co-Chairman of the commission, the Minister of Energy and Natural
Resources Armen Movsisyan said at the meeting that currently
the construction of the third high-voltage transmission line
Iran-Armenia, joint construction of hydropower plants on the Araks
river and petroleum products line, and promotion of cooperation in
petrochemistry are on the agenda.

He added that a number of discussions were held in connection with
Iran-Armenia railway construction project and there is a commitment
and the mutual interest of the parties in the implementation of
the project.

Iranian Energy Minister Majid Namdz noted that there are obstacles
in the issue of implementation of mutual project, because of which
there is some slowdown in the implementation process.

“Along with all the achievements, the results are not satisfactory
for us, and everything must be done to overcome these obstacles and
move forward,” he said.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTRY COMMENTS ON MEXICAN MONUMENTS

EurasiaNet.org
Oct 24 2012
NY

EurasiaNet.org received the following statement from Azerbaijan’s
Foreign Ministry in connection with a piece we posted October 23 in
Tamada Tales, titled Armenia, Azerbaijan: Face-Off in Mexico Over el
Nagorno-Karabaj. The text of the Foreign Ministry statement follows:

I was bewildered to read your blog item published on
entitled “Armenia, Azerbaijan: Face-Off in Mexico Over el
Nagorno-Karabaj”. The article attempts to provide a one-sided and
distorted depiction of the situation surrounding Azerbaijani monuments
in Mexico City. The so-called public protests mentioned in the article
are nothing but provocative acts by the Armenian diaspora in Mexico
that are sponsored by Mr. Sarukhan, due to his Armenian ethnicity. It
seems that Republic of Armenia and the Armenian diaspora have launched
a campaign against Azerbaijani monuments.

To make things clearer, I should remind that the decisions to build
the two monuments were approved by the Mexico City authorities and all
works have been carried out in line with the applicable regulations.

And it is with a sense of gratitude to the Mexican people I should
underline that Mexico is one of the countries which has officially
recognized the Khojaly genocide. It is therefore understandable why
Armenian diaspora in Mexico is so keen to distort the story as they
fear statues like the Khojaly monument can eventually show the war
crimes perpetrated by Armenian armed forces to the Mexican and wider
international community.

The two monuments do not in any way cause discomfort to the wider
public of Mexico City. They are located in places where ordinary people
come and rest. The so-called protesters do not represent the wider
general public of Mexico City but are a handful of Armenian diaspora
based in Mexico. They cannot speak on behalf of the general public
in Mexico. We view this as an intentionally organized PR campaign
aimed to damage the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Mexico.

The Government of the Republic of Armenia, which has nothing to offer
to regional cooperation, has decided to spoil the future of the region
by its destructive activities. All these activities do not contribute
to the regional development and peace and further damage the prospects
of the peace process.

Office of Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of
Azerbaijan

From: A. Papazian

CAN CHEESE BRIDGE THE TURKEY-ARMENIA DIVIDE?

EurasiaNet.org
Oct 24 2012
NY

October 24, 2012 – 4:06pm, by Yigal Schleifer

Sometimes diplomatic breakthroughs can happen through unlikely
channels. Although the Turkey-Armenia reconciliation process that
resulted in the 2009 signing of protocols to reestablish relations
between the two neighbors is now almost completely dead, it’s worth
recalling that it was “soccer diplomacy” — mutual visits by the
Turkish and Armenian presidents to watch their countries’ national
teams play each other — that got the diplomatic ball rolling in the
first place.

Now that sports have been used in an effort to get the two neighbors
to talk to each other, could “cheese diplomacy” be the next thing that
sparks a breakthrough in Turkey-Armenia relations? That’s the hope
of Armenian activist Artush Lazarian, who for the last few years has
been the driving force behind an effort to create a kind of Caucasian
“peace cheese,” one produced jointly be Turks and Armenians living near
their shared border. From a New York Times story about the project:

Artush Lazarian calls it cheese diplomacy. Others speak of informal,
or “track-two,” diplomacy. By either name, it is all about building
bridges between Turks and Armenians in the absence of formal, or
“track-one,” diplomatic relations between their governments.

Mr. Lazarian, 55, an engineer, art critic and activist from the
Armenian town of Gyumri has made cheese the medium of contact and
cooperation with the neighboring town of Kars, in Turkey.

Less than 70 kilometers, or 45 miles, apart but separated by a
border that has been closed for nearly two decades, cheese makers in
Gyumri and Kars, along with colleagues in the nearby Georgian town of
Ninotsminda, produce and market a “Caucasian cheese,” invented by Mr.

Lazarian in 2008 to foster cross-border cooperation.

“My cheese diplomacy actually preceded the soccer diplomacy between
our countries,” Mr. Lazarian said Monday as he walked into a meeting
in Istanbul organized by Support to Armenian-Turkish Rapprochement,
an umbrella group for like-minded activists from Turkey and Armenia.

That said, in a region filled with ancient animosities and political
divisions, cheese can divide as much as it can unite. In Cyprus,
for example, cheese has become yet another issue that divides the
island’s Greeks and Turks.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: “WE WILL HAVE THE MOST MODERN ARMAMENT: THERE IS NO OTHER WAY”

Mediamax
Oct 24 2012
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. On October 23, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
who is on a working visit in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR),
watched live-fire exercise of NKR Defense Army at “Tigranakert”
training ground.

Following the exercise, Armenian and NKR presidents awarded the
best servicemen.

“Tomorrow, like today, we will have the most modern armament because
there is no other way. We live in a region where we must ensure our
security ourselves. Having allies and friends we have to understand
that only those who can defend their honor deserve help. My generation
has fulfilled its duty when it was needed. I believe that you will do
it better than us. I see that today you commanders are more competent
than we were. I see that you are better trained than our soldiers
were,” said Serzh Sargsyan. –0–

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA RISES TO NUMBER 32 IN DOING BUSINESS-2013

Interfax
Oct 23 2012
Russia

Armenia has improved its position in the latest Doing Business
2013 report compiled by the World Bank and International Finance
Corporation moving up 18 places to number 32 among 183 countries,
a World Bank report shows.

Armenia was ranked number 46 up from 49 for dealing with construction
permits, 101 up from 143 for getting electricity, 25 up from 98 for
protecting investors and 108 up from 152 for paying taxes.

It did drop from 10 to 11 for starting a business, from 38 to 40 for
getting credit and from 106 to 107 for trading across borders.

Georgia was number 9 in the ranking, up from 12 last year, Azerbaijan
slid from 66 to 67, Russia was number 112, Ukraine – 137, Belarus –
58, Latvia – 25, Lithuanian – 27, Estonia – 21 and Kazakhstan – 47.

me

From: A. Papazian

MILITARY SERVICEMEN COULD PAY TAXES AS WELL – ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT DISCUSSIONS

news.am
October 24, 2012 | 15:34

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s National Assembly on Wednesday commenced the
examination of the bill on making amendments in the Law on Income
Tax and in several related laws.

This law initiative by the Government proposes to collect income
taxes also from the salaries of military servicemen, their equivalent
entities, and from rescue service employees.

As per Finance Minister Vache Gabrielyan, the objective of this bill
is to create a unified income tax field. As a result, all taxpayers
will have equal tax obligations. “[But] No one’s income will reduce,”
Gabrielyan assured because, according to him, the aforesaid service
people’s wages will increase by the same amount as the taxes that
will be levied from their salaries.

From: A. Papazian

CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS HAILS COOPERATION WITH UN

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 24, 2012 – 21:41 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II met October
24 with the outgoing UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident
Representative Dafina Gercheva.

Karekin II highly assessed the UN representative’s efforts, wishing
her good luck in her future activities.

He further hailed the UN programs targeting the country’s development
and the organization’s cooperation with Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

Congratulating on the UN Day, Catholicos of All Armenians wished
success to the organization in future missions.

The parties further discussed the efforts UN and Holy Etchmiadzin
take to extend assistance to Syrian people.

From: A. Papazian

DIASPORA MINISTER MEETS TURKISH-ARMENIAN PUBLISHER

TERT.AM
24.10.12

Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan received on Wednesday the
Istanbul-based Armenian writer and publicist, and the chief editor
of the Marmara newspaper, Rober Haddeciyan.

According to the Ministry’s press office, Hakobyan highly praised the
Turkish-Armenian publisher’s efforts towards upholding the Armenian
publication’s value, noting that only people like him help preserve
the Armenian identity in Turkey.

Congratulating Haddeciyan on being honored with the main award at the
6th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists, the minister said that Marmara
has been committed to the difficult task of preserving the Armenians’
native tongue and culture since inception.

Haddeciyan, who has been in charge for the newspaper since 1967, has
carried out unprecedented work to upgrade the Armenian literary life
to a high level in Istanbul and make it accessible to other Armenian
communities in the Diaspora.

“Marmara has been with us since the very first days we founded the
Ministry of Diaspora and attends to all the pro-Armenian programs
implemented by our agency,” Hakobyan said. “We love you a lot and
are ready to render you assistance in finding solutions to all the
difficulties you encounter in the course of your work.”

Thanking the minister for the reception and her permanent attention to
the community, Haddeciyan said that such an attitude is the groundwork
for preserving the Armenian communities abroad.

“I take pride in neither the quality or quantity of my literary
[heritage],” he said, responding to the minister’s remark that
abstinence from the local appeals and the publication of a newspaper
only in the Armenian language is Marmara’s basic advantage.

From: A. Papazian

IT WOULD BE REASONABLE TO HAVE ANOTHER POSH HOTEL AT REPUBLIC SQUARE. TIGRAN SARGSYAN

ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 24, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS: The issue concerning the selling
of 2nd building of Armenian government and the reconstruction of the
city center were discussed two years ago. Armenpress reports that this
was noted by Tigran Sargsyan during the interview with journalists.

“It is rational to have another posh hotel at the Republic
Square; there is always a tension in the hotels when more than two
international events are taking place at the same time. And the best
place for the investors is five – star hotels in the city center”
said the Prime Minister.

According to him, Argentinian-Armenian businessman Eduardo Eurnekian
made a beneficial proposal for the state.

“The bargain was of bilateral benefit and it will be purposeful to
have another high-class hotel at the Square, and what about Mr.

Eurnekian, he declared that there would be some solutions to satisfy
the cultural needs of civilians” said Prime Minister Sargsyan.

Mr. Sargsyan underlined that there would be no architectural changes
in the building.

A discussion on the sale of the building will be held in National
Assembly.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN NA PRESIDENT VISITED SOS SARGSYAN

ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 24, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS: President of Armenian National
Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan visited Armenian National Artist Sos
Sargsyan, who was recovering in “Nairi” medical center.

As Armenpress was informed from the Public and Media Relations
department of NA, congratulating the great artist with the 83rd
anniversary the head of the parliament highly evaluated the investment
of Sos Sargsyan in the theatrical art and his pedagogical and social
activities.

Wishing soonest recovery to renowned artist, Hovik Abrahamyan gave
to Sos Sargsyan NA President nominal watches as a gift.

From: A. Papazian