Author: Andres-Papazian

LES PREOCCUPATIONS ECONOMIQUES : L’ARMENIE A LA RECHERCHE D’UNE STRATEGIE DE DEVELOPPEMENT DANS LES CONDITIONS DE L’ADHESION A L’UEE

ARMENIE

Au cours de ces derniers jours le Premier ministre armenien Hovik
Abrahamyan a tenu des reunions quotidiennes dans lesquelles, selon les
rapports officiels, les moyens de developper l’economie, la promotion
des exportations et d’autres questions sont abordees.

L’economie armenienne est apparu au point zero après l’adhesion du
pays a l’Union economique eurasienne dirigee par la Russie (UEE). Le
2 janvier 2015, qui devait devenir le point de depart d’une nouvelle
economie armenienne, eurasienne a suscite plus de questions que de
reponses, en particulier ce que l’element cle de l’Union, la Russie,
connaît un important ralentissement economique.

L’economie armenienne a jusqu’ici ete construit sur un simple > – l’Armenie exporte ses travailleurs, principalement vers
la Russie, recoit des fonds prives de sa force de travail – environ 1
milliard de dollars par annee, ce qui assure la demande sur le marche
de la consommation du pays qui est couvert par les importations.

Ce système a permis a l’Armenie de ne pas investir dans le secteur
reel de l’economie, mais de fournir un système bancaire assez stable
selon lequel les transferts ont ete effectues, ainsi que le commerce,
tandis que la plupart des obligations sociales et des reserves de
l’Etat ont ete assures grâce a des emprunts exterieurs de la Banque
mondiale et du Fonds monetaire international.

Après l’economie de la Russie se soit retournee en liaison avec
la baisse des prix internationaux du petrole et des sanctions
occidentales, le regime economique armenien a commence a vaciller.

Tout d’abord, le volume des transferts en provenance de la Russie a
diminue, puis certains des travailleurs migrants saisonniers ont cesse
d’aller en Russie pour le travail, et enfin les investissements de
societes russes qui ont un monopole sur les infrastructures de base
en Armenie ont ete abandonnes.

Dans le meme temps, l’adhesion formelle a l’UEE a conduit a de graves
problèmes des exportations et des importations de >,
qui annule la principale exportation de l’Armenie – les produits de
l’industrie minière- vers l’Europe.

Dans ces conditions, le gouvernement armenien a reussi a “suspendre”
l’economie pendant un certain temps. Les prets consentis par les
institutions financières internationales recus a la fin de 2014 ont
pour l’instant permis au gouvernement de remplir ses obligations
sociales. Mais les entreprises sont desormais en stagnation, surtout
après une forte devaluation de la monnaie nationale, le dram, le
mois dernier.

Les banques ont cesse de preter en drams, et le taux de change semble
avoir ete fixe artificiellement et n’a aucun rapport avec le marche.

Dans cette situation, le gouvernement s’efforce de developper des
mecanismes, mais pour la survie plutôt que le developpement.

Les autres pays membres de l’UEE, le Belarus et le Kazakhstan, ont
fait des declarations au sujet de leurs plans pour travailler a la
diversification de leurs liens economiques et du developpement des
relations avec l’Occident. L’Armenie n’a pas encore fait de telles
declarations, bien que litteralement au cours de ces jours a Bruxelles
Edward Nalbandian le ministre armenien des Affaires etrangères etait
en pourparlers sur une nouvelle relation avec l’Union europeenne. Ces
relations auront egalement un volet economique.

Il est clair que si le gouvernement de l’Armenie ne remplit pas ses
obligations sociales, meme pour un mois, il peut y avoir une agitation
sociale dans le pays, surtout que la masse critique de travailleurs
migrants potentiels est restee a la maison cette annee et que ces
personnes ont besoin d’emplois.

Par Naira Hayrumyan

ArmeniaNow

mardi 3 fevrier 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

DANS LES RELATIONS TURQUIE-FRANCE, LE PROBLEME C’EST LA DIASPORA ARMENIENNE SELON LE PRESIDENT DU PARLEMENT TURC

TURQUIE-FRANCE

Le 30 janvier, a l’occasion de sa visite officielle en France, le
President du Parlement turc Cemil Cicek est revenu sur les declarations
du president francais Francois Hollande lors du diner du CCAF. Cemil
Cicek a declare que la Turquie n’a pas de problème avec le peuple
armenien, mais le problème est avec la diaspora armenienne. > dit le president du Parlement turc.

Krikor Amirzayan

mardi 3 fevrier 2015, Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

PERINCEK MAY DENY BUT TURKEY SHOULD NOT

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 3 2015

JOOST LAGENDIJK
February 03, 2015, Tuesday

One of the most difficult things in life is to admit, on any given
subject, that someone you dislike from the bottom of your heart
is right.

It happened to me last week when Dogu Perincek defended himself at the
European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg for having denied
that a genocide took place against the Ottoman Armenians in 1915.

Last week’s hearing at the ECtHR is the latest episode in a long,
drawn-out legal battle over freedom of speech and the right to deny
the Armenian genocide. In 2005, Perincek spoke at several conferences
in Switzerland and described the idea of an Armenian genocide as an
“international lie.” In the years following, Swiss courts, also on
appeal, found Perincek guilty of denying historical facts and by
doing so racially discriminating against Armenians.

Perincek complained that the Swiss courts had violated his right to
freedom of expression and lodged an application with the ECtHR in
2008. In December 2013 the court ruled that Perincek was right. The
Swiss government then used its right to refer the case to the highest
level of the ECtHR. It is this so-called Grand Chamber that organized
the hearing on Jan. 28 and that will come up with a final ruling in
the next couple of months.

Let me be clear: I think Perincek is an ultranationalist champion
of conspiracy theories whose opinions I thoroughly reject and often
detest, and who has been convicted, according to me for good reasons,
for his links with all kinds of dirty businesses in the past as part
of the Ergenekon trial. But in this particular case he is right. He,
and others who share his opinion, should be allowed to say in public
that the events of 1915, as he put it more mildly and precisely at
the hearing, “do not fit the legal classification of genocide.” It
does not matter whether you agree with Perincek or not. Also, the
ECtHR in its 2013 ruling made it explicitly clear that it was not
its task to rule on “the appropriateness of legally characterizing
the events of 1915 as ‘genocide’.” The court stressed that genocide
was a very narrow legal concept that was difficult to substantiate,
and was therefore open to discussion and a matter of debate. It is
hard to see how the Grand Chamber could come to another conclusion.

Despite my personal uncomfortable feelings about Perincek and the way
he uses his freedom of expression, what really worries me is something
else. Perincek had his moment of glory in Strasbourg, but he remains
a marginal figure. My fear is that the Turkish state will conclude
that its official denialist policy on the Armenian genocide will,
most probably, again be validated by the ECtHR. Mind you: From the
moment Perincek turned to the Strasbourg court, the Turkish government
joined the proceedings as a third party. Present at the hearing last
week to show support for Perincek were high-level delegations of both
the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Republican People’s
Party (CHP). It looks as if this case has been turned into not just
one of Perincek versus Switzerland, but has purposefully been made
into one of the complete Turkish political establishment versus the
rest of the world.

With that mindset, a victory for Perincek will be automatically
interpreted by many in Turkey as a green light by the highest European
legal authorities for the traditional Turkish approach t the 1915
massacres.

That would be a serious mistake. Not only because this is a case about
freedom of expression and not about the correct interpretation of
history. Perincek is free to say what he wants, even if that makes
no sense to the rest of the world. But the Turkish government has
a fundamentally different responsibility. Especially in this year,
the centennial of the events, Turkish authorities should not hide
behind ECtHR rulings.

The rest of the world does not expect a dramatic U-turn from Turkey
on the “g-word.” What many people do hope is for Turkey to continue
where then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stopped last year:
To go the extra mile in showing to the descendants of the Armenians
who were killed or chased from Ottoman lands in 1915 that today’s
Turkey is sorry for what happened then and for the insensitivity
toward Armenian suffering shown by previous generations in Turkey.

From: A. Papazian

RUSSIAN SOLDIER TO BE TRIED FOR MURDER OF 7 BY RUSSIAN MILITARY PANEL IN ARMENIA

RAPSI
Feb 3 2015

Context

Armenian investigators interrogate Russian soldier over murder
of family Russian soldier charged with murder of seven in Armenia
pleads guilty

MOSCOW, February 3 (RAPSI) – The trial of Russian serviceman Valery
Permyakov, who has been charged with killing seven members of a family
in the city of Gyumri, will be held at the Russian military base in
Armenia, Interfax reported on Tuesday, citing informed sources.

One of the news agency’s sources said the sides had agreed that the
high-profile case would be heard by the military panel of the 102nd
Russian Military Base in Gyumri. The decision has been taken on the
basis of a bilateral agreement on the status of the Russian base in
the north of Armenia.

Another source told Interfax that the sides were negotiating a joint
investigation into the case and a joint indictment based on Russian
criminal law.

The source said the court will also consider the desertion charges
brought against Permyakov by Russian military investigators.

On January 12, Permyakov, who was serving at Russia’s 102nd army base
in Gyumri, killed a family of six and mortally wounded a six-month-old
baby, who died of injuries on January 19.

On January 21, Permyakov pled guilty of murdering two or more persons
in accordance with the charged brought against him under the Armenian
Criminal Code. He may receive a life sentence if convicted.

From: A. Papazian

POLICE SHOULD ANSWER FOR BRUTALITY – PARTY LEADER

YEREVAN, February 3. /ARKA/. The aims of the motor rally run by the
Founding Parliament organization on Saturday in Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic were absolutely not understandable, Aram Sargsyan, leader
of the Democratic Party of Armenia, told journalists on Tuesday.

The organization staged the rally under the slogan ‘The 100th
Anniversary without Regime’ demanding the Armenian authorities to
resign. Members of the organization say some participants of the rally
were bitten by the police as they entered Nagorno Karabakh’s territory.

Sargsyan wonders why the rally was staged in Nagorno Karabakh, not
in Armenia, especially given that the republic is in state of war,
Novosti-Armenia reports. He also didn’t understand why the police
resorted to violence against the rally participants.

From: A. Papazian

CANONIZATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS DUE ON APRIL 23

15:00 03/02/2015 >> SOCIETY

After an interval of about 400 years, for the first time, the Armenian
Apostolic Church will conduct a canonization ceremony on April 23,
2015, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, for the victims of the
Armenian Genocide, Director of the Office for Conceptual Issues of
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan, told
reporters on Tuesday.

He said that it will be collective canonization. Special rites have
been developed for the ceremony.

The ceremony will start at 4:30 pm or 5:00 pm and will end at 7:15
pm, symbolizing the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Bells
will ring one hundred times in all Armenian churches all across the
world, and the attendees will observe one minute’s silence for the
Genocide victims.

Invitations have been sent to various churches throughout the world.

From: A. Papazian

ZHOGHOVURD: CONVICTS’ HOSPITAL HEAD TO BE DISMISSED

10:21 03/02/2015 >> DAILY PRESS

Head of Convicts’ Hospital penitentiary institution Aram Khachatryan
will be relieved of his post soon, sources told Zhoghovurd.

The newspaper notes that the checks conducted in the penitentiary
institution revealed violations, which is said to be the cause for
his dismissal.

Khachatryan, however, denied the information when contacted by the
newspaper.

Source: Panorama.am

From: A. Papazian

TURKISH PROPAGANDA IN CRISIS – EXPERT

15:42 â~@¢ 03.02.15

Turkish propaganda is going through a crisis, expert in Turkic studies
Ruben Melkonyan told reporters on Tuesday.

Evidence thereof is that Recep Erdogan administration has not been
able to add new ideas to their political rhetoric.

With respect to the pan-Armenian Declaration on the Armenian Genocide
centennial, Mr Melkonyan said that it contains legal, historical,
civil points as well as demands. He believes that the Armenian-Turkish
protocols will be invalidated before April 24.

As regards the Dogu Perincek v Switzerland case, the European Court
of Human Rights (ECHR) will issue a political ruling rather than a
legal one.

“Turkey’s authorities attach paramount importance to the case,”
Mr Melkonyan said.

Even if the ECHR issues a ruling in Perincek’s favor, it will not
mean an end to the Armenians’ genocide-related demands.

From: A. Papazian

REVUE DE PRESSE
Amal Clooney se moque d’un journaliste pour une question… de robe !
Amal Clooney n’est pas qu’une people et l’a rappelé avec humour à un
journaliste à l’issue d’une audience à la CEDH à Strasbourg.

Amal Clooney est avocate, spécialiste de droit international et tient
à le rappeler à ceux qui voudraient la laisser dans l’ombre de son
époux George Clooney.

Mercredi, alors qu’elle représentait le gouvernement arménien contre
un homme politique turc qui réfute l’existence du >, Amal Clooney s’est vue poser une question sans rapport avec son
travail du jour.

La question :

From: A. Papazian

OikoTimes
Feb 1 2015

Live from Nicosia: Cyprus Decides 2015

Posted on February 1, 2015 8:32 pm by Fotis Konstantopoulos (Greece)

NICOSIA, CYPRUS – Welcome to the national final of Cyprus. Through
Eurovision Song Project, Cyprus will decide its participation for the
60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. Six acts came to the
final through a series of auditions and challenges and tonight we will
find out the winner. Minus One and Panagiotis Koufogiannis are
considered the top favourites but still everything is open.

Throughout last week the tele voting was open and tonight along with
the jury we will find out the winner. Watch the show live here or here
while we will bring you live report of the show. Tonight the show is
hosted by Antri Karantoni while the jury made of Alex Panayi, Tasos
Tryfonos, Elena Patroklou and Despina Olympiou will be enhanced with
former French HoD, Mr. Bruno Berberes and Italian HoD Nicola Caligiore
who spoke in fluent Greek!

Antri Karantoni opened the show performing a remix of “Rise like a
phoenix” while Tasos Tryfonos is co hosting the show. During the jury
presentation the Italian HoD spoke in fluent Greek! making the
audience applauding. In the meantime Alex, Elena and Despoina go on
stage and perform all together the 1987 Italian entry “Gente di mare”
by Umberto Tozzi & Raf. In the audience, Cypriot national broadcaster
has also invited the Austrian ambassador in the island. After a
dreadful attempt with an “Austrian Heidi” but it seems the organisers
didn’t know that “Heidi” was a Swiss novel and cartoon and not
Austrian! Now time for the real business.

HOVIG – STONE IN A RIVER

A beautiful ballad by a Greek Armenian singer. Hovig is dressed in
dark blue shirt, tie and trousers. Dark blues stage for him. When it
comes to the vocal performance we give him immediately 12 points. He
is perfect and he is amongst the favourites tonight. The song is
definitely a safe ballad that can really approach the jury votes
easily and not to mess with tele voting. It could be a good and safe
choice for Cyprus. There is a bit of confusion on whether the dancers
behind me are needed, still the jury give the best compliments to this
performance.

DOODY – MAGIC

DoOdy is not alone on stage and performs his song along with a band.
Sometimes you listen something unstable in his voice while performing
but still you listen a voice that surely resembles to Constantinos
Christoforou, with whom Doody are siblings. Overall the song is a safe
mid tempo tune and DoOdy is feel ing quite comfortable. In the song
bridge, all together come in the front of the stage and perform the
R’n’B part of the song. He is just 20 years old and already he shines,
well done DoOdy. The jury agrees with us that DoOdy is great on stage,
has fresh image but he needs to improve his vocals. Read his interview
to oikotimes.com.

PANAGIOTIS KOUFOGIANNIS – WITHOUT YOUR LOVE

Panagiotis is the favourite in most polls for Cyprus 2015 national
final including ours. Recently we spoke to Panagiotis, the interview
of which you can read here. He has an amazing ballad and an even
greater vocal performance. His retro outfit with white suit jacket and
black trousers make him an ultimate 30s hunk. This is a ballad the
juries will surely vote in Vienna and the tele voters will not be able
to ignore. He is surrounded by female string players and two female
backing vocals. The jury praises his performance resembling it with
that of Johnny Logan.

MINUS ONE – SHINE

Well Turkey might be out but for sure they have voted this song which
definitely resembles with their 2010 and 2011 entries. Minus One is an
extremely popular band in Cyprus and despite not topping the
international polls we are sure that they will fight hard for the
trophy and will not be a surprise seeing them in Vienna, mark my
words. The rock ballad / mid tempo anthem song is working nicely for
them although the lead singer Francois Micheletto (who speaks fluently
French as he descents from France) needs to rest his voice! The jury
praises them and Bruno Berberes says it clearly: He wants to see them
in Vienna.

GIANNIS KARAGIANNIS – ONE THING I SHOULD HAVE DONE

This ballad is presented in retro mode as the broadcast turns into
black and white. Great vocal performance and definitely another song
that juries in Vienna will definitely not ignore. Giannis (aka John)
is giving a great smooth and nerdy performance which cannot be
ignored. The song reminds me a former Eurovision entry (Tom Dice, Me
and my guitar) but it’s smooth and sae choice for Cyprus. The jury is
stunned with the performance as every time small details make this
song brat for them. Not a bad choice for Vienna I would say!

NEARCHOS & CARIS – DEILA DEN AGAPO

Charis is a former Junior Eurovision participant for Cyprus and now
joined by Nearchos they performa Greek – French ballad. We give our
sincere condolences to Nearchos for the loss of his grandfather this
week and we hope tonight’s show to compensate them. Christern Björkman
said in the Eurochallenge phase that Charis should know French since
she performs a song in that language. It’s the only song performed
even partially in Greek tonight. I think it’s the weakest entry
tonight but still it’s decent and vocally both are performing
perfectly. There is a dance act behind them with two pair of male and
female dancers dancing under a white clothe.

so that’s it from the live report. we continue with the show and of
course we are ready to inform you about the results.

From: A. Papazian