Author: Andres-Papazian

“THE PROSPEROUS ARMENIA PARTY (PAP) AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA (RPA) HAVE CUT A DEAL ‘IF YOU FREEZE THE CASE OF OSKANIAN’S CIVILITAS, I WILL FREEZE THE SIGNATURE COLLECTING FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY SESSION'”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN

July 19, 2012 10:36

Today Hmayak Hovhannisyan, the president of the Union of Political
Scientists, made an interesting statement on the secret deal between
the RPA and the PAP during a conversation with , which,
according to him, was on the Civilitas case and signature collecting
for an extraordinary session.

Hmayak Hovhannisyan has revealed that the PAP has cut a deal with the
government “if you freeze the case of Oskanian’s Civilitas, I will
freeze the signature collecting for an extraordinary session.” In
Hmayak Hovhannisyan’s words, “The thing is that there was a fast
process against Civilitas and Vartan Oskanian, they summoned him to
the National Security

Service every other day. By putting off, I should say, suspending
the issue of convening an extraordinary session, the PAP achieved
that Oskanian’s issue was also suspended, they fell silent. Now if
it resumes in the fall, they give a renewed impetus to Oskanian’s
case, then, unfortunately, the PAP has turned our valiant, young,
talented doctor Officer Vahe Avetyan’s death into a certain card in the
political struggle. The government wanted to take Vartan Oskanian off
the list of possible options for the common candidate, if this case had
been carried through, if the court had brought in a verdict, Oskanian
would not have had a possibility to be nominated for the presidential
election. On the one hand, the prosecutor’s office denied Oskanian’s
application to stop proceedings, on the other hand, it has frozen
the process, it has lulled it, given the fact that the PAP might add
its signatures to those of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) and
achieve the convening of an extraordinary session. If there had been
an extraordinary session, the parliament would have been surrounded
by vast masses of people and under such circumstances, establishing
a committee would have become unavoidable. The explanation that
‘we will not sign any decision draft that is signed by the Heritage
representatives’ doesn’t work, because the ANC and the PAP have the
necessary 44 signatures, therefore, they could have done it without
the Heritage party, there would have been no problem.” We inquired
whether he meant that the explanation of Naira Zohrabyan, the secretary
of the PAP parliamentary group, that a part of the PAP MPs were on
vacation, that was why they hadn’t sign was just an excuse, according
to him, Hmayak Hovhannisyan said, “In that struggle, that political,
psychological struggle, it was clear as day that the investigation
into the case of Oskanian’s Civilitas was frozen thanks to that and
that the PAP suspended the establishment of a commission.

Let’s wait and see what developments there will be in September. But
it is clear that now the ANC has a task to heat up the society over
the establishment of a commission, because the establishment of a
commission can become a playground, on which the ANC will be able
to spoil the relations between the RPA and the PAP at the threshold
of the local elections once and for all. And the results of these
elections can spoil those relations once and for all and offer an
opportunity to destroy Gagik Tsarukyan, their goal is that.”

After a few strong statements during the interview, Mr. Hovhannisyan
said, “Listen, do you want me to go through what Vahe Avetyan has gone
through. Do you understand that one doesn’t argue with oligarchs in
our country?” Therefore, we asked to clarify whether he wasn’t afraid
to go through what Vahe Avetyan had gone through, when he said that
the PAP and the RPA had cut a deal, whether he wasn’t afraid that
he brought closer the day of his arrest, since there were 3 criminal
cases against him, he said, “You know what, if I have to betray the
20-year road I have travelled and I have always been very brave,
I wasn’t afraid of Vano, when Vano was the Minister of Interior.”

When journalists would ask about tractors handed out by the PAP at
the joint staff, Hmayak Hovhannisyan would go ballistic, would stand
up for it, since he was on the PAP list. In response to our question
whether he could answer whether he considered it as an election

bribe or not now, he said, “If a good thing is done for people, one
should welcome it, regardless of what the reason for that is. People
just have to comply with moral, Bible standards, in order to do such
things unselfishly. They do it for benefit. If it is not possible to
carry out a fair redistribution of wealth, at least, let the people
gain, get tractors at the expense of us, politicians that should have
been in the parliament, at the expense of our ruined lives.”

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN BECOMES MOSCOW’S TEMPORARY CHIEF ARCHITECT

news.am
July 19, 2012 | 10:34

MOSCOW. – While Chairman Aleksandr Kuzmin of the Architectural
Committee of Moscow is on vacation, the Russian capital city’s Mayor
Sergey Sobyanin appointed Vice Chairman Ruben Mulkijanyan as the
Committee’s Acting Chairman.

It became apparent last week that Aleksandr Kuzmin, who holds this
office since 1996, has submitted his resignation and he will leave
office after his vacation, Moskovsky Komsomolets informs, referring
to Moscow’s municipal administration.

And President Nikolai Shumkov of the Union of Architects of Moscow
informed that Vice Chairman Ruben Mulkijanyan is heading the Committee
at present.

Ruben Mulkijanyan is Vice Chairman of the Architecture and Urban
Development Committee of Moscow ever since 2007. He is an associate
member of the International Academy of Architecture, an honorary
constructor of Russia, a distinguished constructor of the Russian
Federation, and member of the Union of Architects of Russia.

From: A. Papazian

VITALY BALASANYAN CASTS HIS BALLOT ‘FOR KARABAKH’S FUTURE’

Panorama.am
19/07/2012

NKR Presidential candidate Vitaly Balasanyan cast his ballot at a
polling station located in Askeran House of Culture. Journalists
asked him several questions.

– Mister Balasanyan, what did you vote for?

– I voted for Karabakh’s future, for our independence and supreme goal:
one Armenian republic.

– What expectations do you have from elections?

– I am convinced that we all together will find strength within
ourselves and will do the most important thing to further increase
Karabakh’s reputation. Free, fair and transparent election – this is
our principle.

– What are the problems that require urgent solution?

– First of all, the unsettled war. The second is Karabakh’s
independence and its participation in the negotiations. I would also
like to mention socio-economic problems, use of modern approaches
and innovations in economy.

– If you are elected president, what will be your first move?

– First I will declare that I am everyone’s president; there will
be no persecution irrespective of party belonging and views. If I am
not elected, we will continue to fight; we have already carried out
our minimum program. Karabakh will revive.

– If you are not elected, will you announce becoming opposition?

– Yes, unanimously.

From: A. Papazian

NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO HOLD PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

BBC
19 July 2012 Last updated at 04:38

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s is thought to
have claimed up to 30,000 lives Continue reading the main story

Voters in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh are due to go
to polls on Thursday to elect a new president.

Almost 100,000 voters will choose from among four candidates for
the post.

Populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, the territory declared
independence from Azerbaijan after the breakup of the Soviet Union
in 1991, sparking a conflict in which thousands died.

Azerbaijan has described the poll as a “provocation”, and there are
fears of a return to full-scale conflict.

“We have every reason to say to the world that we hold
elections strictly in accordance with the law,” Vasily Atajanian,
Nagorno-Karabakh’s acting foreign minister told the Reuters news
agency,

“We can say that there is no difference between us and democratic
Europe,” Mr Atajanian added.

Arms race

However, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton expressed concern
over the poll.

“I would like to reiterate that the European Union does not recognise
the constitutional and legal framework in which [the vote] will be
held,” Baroness Ashton said in a statement.

“These ‘elections’ should not prejudice the determination of the
future status of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiated general framework
of the peaceful settlement of the conflict,” she added.

A ceasefire was agreed between the two sides in 1994, but in recent
months tension has been rising.

At the beginning of June, at least nine soldiers were shot dead
by snipers.

Both sides are engaged in an arms race, investing in more sophisticated
weaponry, the BBC’s Damien McGuinness reports from the region.

Any return to a full-blown conflict would therefore have even more
devastating consequences this time round, particularly if regional
allies such as Russia or Turkey were dragged into the dispute, our
correspondent adds.

From: A. Papazian

ANCA BURBANK TO HOST AUTHOR MARIA ARMOUDIAN

ARMENPRESS
19 July, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 19, ARMENPRESS: The Armenian National Committee of
America, Burbank, in partnership with Sardarabad Bookstore will
host author Maria Armoudian who will discuss her book, “Kill the
Messenger: The Media’s Role in the Fate of the World”, reports
Armenpress citing Asbarez.

The event will be held on July 26 at the new ACF Burbank Youth Center.

“We are very excited to hear Maria talk about the relationship between
media and events that occurred in society. This topic is not only
interesting historically, but is also relevant today, especially
in light of the Occupy movement,” said Annette Kargodorian, ANCA-B
Secretary and Community Relations Committee Chair.

Maria is the host and producer of the Pacifica Radio programs “The
Scholars’ Circle” and “The Insighters”. She is currently a doctoral
candidate at the University of Southern California. Additionally, Maria
previously worked on policy issues in various legislative offices,
including serving as an environmental commissioner for the city of
Los Angeles for five years and in the California State Legislature
for eight years.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Burbank advances the
social, economic, and cultural rights of its community and promotes
increased Armenian civic participation at the grassroots and public
policy levels.

From: A. Papazian

COMMENTARY: OLIGARCHY ON THE DEFENSIVE
By Edmond Y. Azadian

July 19, 2012 2:41 pm

While the Cold War is intensifying over the Syrian crisis, pitting
again the old warriors against each other, an internal crisis is
brewing in Armenia with broad ramifications; this time the oligarchy
is on the defensive, mind you, not yet on the run.

In order to put the crisis in perspective a background flashback is
warranted here.

Since Armenia emerged as an independent country, it claimed to have
adopted the system of market economy, replacing the Soviet-style
command economy. But it turned out that only the worst traits of
capitalism were adopted and practiced giving rise to a sharp divide
between the rich and the poor. A caste of oligarchs evolved, making
its own rules of conduct and placing itself over the law and the
constitution.

Each oligarch has a fleet of luxury cars driven by a band of bodyguards
to follow the movements of their boss, always ready to take the
law into their hands, at the nod of their bosses. Their cars have
special license plates to intimidate and threaten traffic police,
who remain mindful of job security and leave alone the oligarchs and
their mafia-type bodyguards to violate all laws with impunity.

At times these oligarchs have killed or driven away foreign investors
who inadvertently have violated their business turf. Therefore it
is self-evident why Diaspora Armenians or other foreign investors
stay away from meddling into the affairs of these oligarchs who have
instituted a chokehold over Armenia’s economy. To buy impunity from
any prosecution, these oligarchs are keen to be elected as parliament
members.

A journalist once asked sarcastically why these oligarchs need so
much protection. They must have hurt somebody that they are scared
for their lives.

Indeed, the bodyguards of these oligarchs have beaten to death many
citizens without any consequences. A much-highlighted case was the
killing of a man named Vartan Vartanian by the then- President Robert
Kocharian’s bodyguards at the Aragast Cafe.

The oligarchs practice the “Wild West” model of politics. Last year,
the newly-elected mayor of Yerevan, Gagik Beglarian, beat one of
President Serge Sargisian’s protocol staff members who had refused
to bend the protocol rules to accommodate the whims of the mayor’s
wife. Beglarian was asked to resign but before a year elapsed he was
awarded with a ministerial office, rendering the government into a
revolving door.

Of course the opposition media uses all these incidents to criticize
the government to no avail. But a recent incident proved to be the
straw that broke the camel’s back. On June 17, the body- guards of
powerful oligarch Ruben Hairabetian (nicknamed Nemetz Rubo) decided
“to teach a lesson” to a group of visitors to the Harsnakar hotel
and resort in the suburbs of Yerevan. The resort is owned by Mr.

Hairabetian. (Incidentally, all these oligarchs have nicknames like
Nemetz Rubo, Lfik Samo, Dody Gago, etc. and they don’t resent the
nomenclature; they rather carry them as badges of honor.) The
bodyguards, allegedly under orders from their boss, gave a beating
to the visiting group, killing one, army surgeon Vahe Avedian.

The incident touched off intense public outrage which hit the political
scene like an avalanche.

Last May, Mr. Hairabetian was elected a member of the parliament
on the ruling Republican Party ticket. He is also the head of the
Armenian Football Federation.

To calm public outrage, the president met with Hairabetian, who,
upon leaving the presidential palace, issued an apology and resigned
from the parliament. Despite those steps, vigils are continuing at
the site of the crime and the public is demanding more retribution.

Hairabetian is being asked to quit his position at the Football
Federation while some maximalists are even asking the government to
confiscate Mr. Hairabetian’s assets and throw him in jail.

This time around, the public has had enough of such unruly con-
duct, which had been continuing over the years with impunity.

Of course, this incident also became a God-sent golden opportunity for
the opposition to use against the ruling Republican Party. The incident
became a cause celebre for the entire spectrum of the opposition
parties. At this point, four political parties have rallied around
the case, asking Hovik Abrahamian, the Speaker of the Parliament,
to hold a special session to discuss the issue and take action.

Forty-four members of the parliament need to sign the petition, in
order for the speaker to call a special session. At this writing the
opposition had not garnered that number yet.

But a very important picture has evolved in the process: the opposition
parties thus far had acted in disparate courses, but this time around,
they have found a case which warrants their cooperation.

Until recently, the Armenian National Congress and the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) were mortal enemies. Gagik Zaroukian’s
Prosperous Armenian Party was a coalition partner with the president’s
Republican Party until the parlia- mentary elections of last May. At
this time, they seem to have part- ed ways. All the above opposition
parties plus the Heritage Party have signed the petition requesting
the special session.

The news media is continuing to give extensive coverage to the issue
indicating that public anger will not quiet down any time soon.

Meanwhile, some voices from the Republican quarters have been asking
not to politicize the issue since the law enforcement authorities and
the courts have taken up the issue. One such voice was the Republican
member of the parliament Artashes Geghamian. But voices of defense
are far and few since no one wishes to take the risk of countering
public anger, which has become a cumulative force reflecting anger
not just at this incident but the group’s modus operandi.

This time around it seems that public outrage has struck a balance in
the legal system to tame a self-appointed caste and make it accountable
to the court.

For the first time, the oligarchs are on the defensive but not yet
on the run.

From: A. Papazian

SCANDALOUS ARMENIAN MP RUBEN HAYRAPETYAN MUST BE ARRESTED – CITIZENS

news.am
July 19, 2012 | 15:32

YEREVAN. – ‘We Demand to Punish All the Accused on the Harsnakar
Case’ initiative demands that Harsnakar restaurant owner, scandalous
MP Ruben Hayrapetyan should be involved as a suspect and arrested,
as well as all people who are linked to the June 17 criminal case
should be involved in the criminal case, the initiative member Zaruhi
Hovhannisyan told the journalists on Thursday.

“We demand:

-the case investigation to transfer from police into Special
Investigation Service,

-to carry out impartial but open and accountable investigation,

-to dismiss Hayrapetyan from the office of the head of the Armenian
Football Federation,

-to ensure security of the victims and their relatives, as well as
exclude any possible repression on them,” the initiative stated.

Hovhannisyan said that the initiative was founded on June 17, as a
result of the brutal beating at the Harsnakar restaurant on the same
day, which belongs to the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)
former MP Ruben Hayrapetyan. Four military doctors were brutally beaten
in the restaurant, while one of them, Vahe Avetyan died on June 29,
without coming into consciousness.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJAN LEAVES ARMENIA BEHIND

Vestnik Kavkaza
July 18 2012
Russia

The Kazakhstan agency Rating.KZ published data of a poll which
indicates the foreign political priorities of Kazakhstan in the
sphere of relations with key partners. Unlike previous research of
this agency the expert poll was not conducted, and materials were
summed up from open sources.

Three factors were considered: frequency of meetings, mutual turnover,
and the investment aspect. The results didn’t bring sensations. The
first-second places are traditionally taken by Russian and China. Ii
can be told without carrying out any research.

It is interesting that Nursultan Nazarbayev met the Russian authorities
most often, but in the sphere of turnover and investments Russia yields
its position to China and the Netherlands. However, 3-6 places were
difficult to predict.

For example, Ukraine took third place with a great advantage over
Germany. Fifth and sixth places were taken by France and the US.

Washington achieved this high position due to investment, while France
– due to a significant level of turnover.

At the same time, neither Paris nor Washington is presented in top-10
of countries-partners according to number of official meetings. They
yield positions not only to the CIS countries, but also to the UAE
and even Armenia, as these two countries took fifth and sixth places
according to frequency of top officials meetings.

However, here we can see a relevant mismatch. In the final rating
Armenia took 32nd place because neither turnover nor investment
doesn’t correlate with frequency of meetings (39th and 37th places
correspondingly).

Along with Russia and Ukraine such countries of the CIS and
Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan got into
top-20. Azerbaijan left Italy and Austria behind, even though Austria
takes a high position according to turnover with Astana. The rating’s
authors note that those countries which President of Kazakhstan
visited during the year, for example, Malaysia and Indonesia, are
not among leader in turnover, they take 32nd and 33rd places.

At the same time, probably these circumstances cause visits of
Kazakhstan’s top management to the country which is called an example
of economic modernization (Malaysia), even though Kazakhstan has no
common economic interests with it.

Unlike previous rating research based on expert estimations this
material seem to be more independent, but more illustrative and
systemic. Probably the data would be more interesting if one more
aspect is added – social view on countries-partners by Kazakhstan’s
residents. .

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN HERITAGE PARK HOSTS SERIES OF EARLY MORNING WALKS
Jeremy C. Fox

Boston Globe

July 18 2012

Early risers can enjoy the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway before
the heat of the day sets in by participating in a walk around the
labyrinth inside the Armenian Heritage Park.

Beth Burnham Mace, founder and president of the Labyrinth Guild of New
England, will host a series of monthly 7 a.m. labyrinth walks on the
following Wednesdays: July 18, Aug. 15, Sept. 19, and Oct. 17. Mace
formed the guild in 1999 to celebrate labyrinths across the region
and create a community of those who enjoy walking labyrinths and
exploring their meanings, according to the guild’s website.

The Armenian Heritage Park, located northwest of Mercantile Street
between Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Christopher Columbus Park,
celebrates Armenian immigration to the US with an abstract sculpture
representing the immigrant experience and a labyrinth that represents
life’s journey.

The sculpture, a dodecahedron split and mounted in a reflecting pool,
can shift its position to represent the re-shaping of immigrant
communities in a new land. The labyrinth honors the achievements of
Armenian immigrants, listing names of many who achieved success in
the arts, sciences, business, education, and public service.

The park was built by the non-profit Armenian Heritage Foundation,
a coalition of more than 35 Armenian-American religious, cultural,
educational, and philanthropic organizations from around the
Commonwealth. At the park’s opening in late May, Governor Deval
Patrick spoke of its symbolic value.

“This is a proud symbol of resilience for our Armenian community and
our Commonwealth,” said Patrick, according to a press release. “It
is a tribute to those who have, against many odds, contributed so
much to Massachusetts, and a marker for future generations to see
our state as a place to reach for their dreams.”

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN TIME BOMB TICKS DOWN IN KARABAKH
By Mariam Harutyunyan

Times

July 17 2012
SriLanka

Wednesday, 18 July 2012 11:39 .MARDAKERT, Azerbaijan, July 18, 2012
(AFP) – The rusty sign reads: “this area is under enemy fire.”Only
the wind is heard rustling the wheat fields at the Karabakh frontline,
but the silence is deceptive — the soldiers lined along the Mardakert
Heights know that shooting can start at any time.

Thirty metres (yards) divide Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in the
fragile ceasefire over Nagorny-Karabakh, the mountainous region that
is home to one of the world’s most dangerous frozen conflicts and
will hold leadership elections Thursday.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are locked in a bitter dispute over
Nagorny-Karabakh, which Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan seized
from Azerbaijan in a war in the 1990s that left some 30,000 people
dead but Baku wants to reclaim.

Despite years of internationally-mediated negotiations since the 1994
ceasefire, the two sides have not yet signed a final peace deal and
the risk of a new conflict remains palpable.

There are still frequent exchanges of gunfire between the opposing
armies and energy-rich Azerbaijan has repeatedly vowed to retake the
region using its huge defence budget, a move that Armenia warns it
would crush.

Nagorny-Karabakh is still internationally recognised as part of
Azerbaijan but the Azerbaijani community — which before the war made
up around 25% of the population — no longer exists.

Almost all of the 145,000 population of Nagorny-Karabakh is Armenian
and the region declares itself as the Nagorny-Karabakh Republic. But
its existence as a state is recognised by no country in the world,
not even Armenia.

The breakaway region will on July 19 elect a new leader with security
dominating the campaign of the two main hopefuls, incumbent and
former security minister Bako Sahakyan and retired army general
Vitaliy Balasanyan.

“If Baku starts war, it will get a crushing rebuff from the Karabakh
army,” said Sahakyan.

According to Svante Cornell, director of the Washington-based Central
Asia-Caucasus Institute, there is still no meaningful international
effort to solve the problem and domestic issues in the two countries
could tip the dispute into a full-blown conflict.

“This situation cannot continue forever and at some point something
has to break,” he told AFP. “This is a time bomb. If nobody does
anything about it, I don’t see how it could not at some point erupt
into a new armed conflict.”

— ‘The chance of war will increase’ —
========================================= >>From his
well-camouflaged observation point overlooking the vast lowland on the
Azerbaijani-controlled side of the frontline, Karabakh army colonel
Jalal Harutyunyan can see the Azerbaijani fortifications and the
“enemy” village buried among the verdure of orchards.

“Azerbaijanis shoot every day. If it lasts for long, then we return
fire,” he said.

Streets are deserted in the village as locals live in constant fear
of Armenian snipers. They have built a four-metre-high fence around
the cemetery to safely bury their dead, but still funerals here are
only held at night.

War paused in a freeze-frame at the “line of contact” — the entire
frontier between Karabakh and Azerbaijan proper — stuffed with
landmines to avert infiltration of commandos.

Sometimes commandos manage to clean paths of landmines and approach
enemy positions under the dead of night.

“I was on duty when I saw three men speaking in Azerbaijani. I opened
fire, but they threw a grenade and wounded a friend of mine,” said
Grigor Madatyan, a 19-year-old soldier with wide green eyes.

“We have found out that it was a group of 12 saboteurs. They managed
to escape, taking with them their wounded.” Increasing the stakes
in the standoff, Azerbaijan is under increasing domestic political
pressure to restore the country’s territorial integrity with its
budget bulging with the revenues from oil and gas exports.

Baku is trying to win concessions from Yerevan by trapping it into
an arms race it cannot afford and excluding it from strategic energy
projects. Yet the military option remains very much on the table.

“Azerbaijan uses economic levers to force Armenia into peace —
through economic exhaustion of Armenia and its exclusion from important
regional projects,” Mubariz Gurbanly, senior lawmaker from Azerbaijan’s
ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party, told AFP in Baku.

“Azerbaijan’s military budget is bigger than the entire state budget
of Armenia,” he boasted, adding that “if talks do not bring results,
then the probability of war will increase.” Cornell said that the
economic disparity between Azerbaijan and resource-poor Armenia was
widening very quickly. “You have weak Armenia and probably revanchist
Azerbaijan.”

From: A. Papazian