Author: Babajanian Karo

ARMENIA’S JEEP-TRIAL WINTER RALLY RESULTS ARE ANNOUNCED

NEWS.AM
February 14, 2012 | 14:16

Armenia’s “Adrenalin” Association of extreme sports and the ArmenTel
Company (Beeline Brand) announced the end of the Lori-Extreme 2012
Winter Rally for off-road vehicles.

The competition in the Rally’s Jeep-Trial category was held on February
12 in Gugark town of the Lori Region. Twenty-five teams took part in
the event, which was watched by around two-thousand enthusiasts.

As a result, Lendrush Sahakyan was declared the winner, with his Toyota
Fortuner, and the second- and third-place awards were presented to
Minas Tiratsyan and Arsen Gevorgyan, with their Ford Maverick and
Mitsubishi Pajero IO respectively.

The Jeep-Trial is a rally on a road with natural and artificial
obstacles, and the quickest vehicle to finish this road is declared
the winner.

DAVUTOGLU, CLINTON DISCUSS KARABAKH CONFLICT, ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE

ARMENPRESS
BEBRUARY 14, 2012
YEREVAN

WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS: Foreign Minister of Turkey
Ahmet Davutoglu discussed at the meeting with the U.S. Secretary of
State Hilary Clinton the situation in the South Caucasus, including
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Citing Turkish sources, Armenpress
reports that Davutoglu noted that such bilateral talks may reinforce
the Turkish-American relations and promote stabilization of situation
in the South Caucasus.

Hilary Clinton and Davutoglu also referred to the Armenian Genocide
issue, in particular, the adoption of bill penalizing the denial of
the Armenian Genocide by the French Senate and possible inclusion of
Armenian resolution at the U.S. Congress.

VASSILY ATAJANIAN RECEIVED A DELEGATION HEADED BY FIRST CHAIRMAN OF THE SLOVAKIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL FRANTISEK MIKLOSKO

Noyan Tapan
2012-02-13

On February 13, Acting Foreign Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic Vassily Atajanian received a delegation of representatives
of educational and business circles of the Slovakian Republic headed
by first Chairman of the Slovakian National Council Frantisek Miklosko.

During the meeting, Vassily Atajanian briefly introduced the history
of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), the origins of the Karabakh conflict,
the current stage of the negotiation process on the Karabakh conflict
settlement, and the position of official Stepanakert.

“Unfortunately, Nagorno Karabakh – a historical part of Armenia –
was forcedly included in the structure of the Azerbaijani Soviet
Socialist Republic. For the entire 75-year stay of Nagorno Karabakh
in the structure of Soviet Azerbaijan, Baku had conducted a policy
on expelling the native Armenian population from the region”, noted
the NKR Acting Foreign Minister.

He emphasized that after the USSR collapse the NKR people had declared
an independent state on a perfect legal basis and, having repelled
the aggression of Azerbaijan, had created a civilized and democratic
society.

Speaking of the conflict settlement process, Vassily Atajanian noted
the destructive position of official Baku, actually, undermining
the negotiation process. According to him, for achieving progress,
the basic issue should be resolved – to recognize the independent
status of Nagorno Karabakh.

Vassily Atajanian answered the guests’ questions related to the
regional processes and humanitarian issues in the context of the
Karabakh issue, as well as the situation in different spheres of the
NKR vital activity. The delegation members made specific proposals
on the realization of corresponding programs in the NKR.

Mr. Atajanian expressed his gratitude to Frantisek Miklosko and the
delegation members, as well as to the visit’s organizer – President of
the Forum of Armenian Associations of Europe Ashot Grigorian for their
consistent and open support of the Karabakh people’s just struggle
and granted them souvenirs, the NKR MFA Press Service informs.

REPUBLICAN MP: NO BUSINESSMEN WILL BE ON RPA’S TICKET, BUT BUSINESSMEN CAN RUN FOR SINGLE- MANDATE SEATS

arminfo
Tuesday, February 14, 14:27

There will be no big business on the Republican Party’s ticket,
but they can run for the single-mandate seats, Mkrtich Minasyan,
Republican parliamentarian, told media, Tuesday.

“Both President Serzh Sargsyan and Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan had
repeatedly touched upon such intention of the RPA. Republicans think
that everyone should do his work. So, let businessmen do business and
develop economy,” Minasyan said. He said that businessmen having big
turnovers can run for the single-mandate seats or on other parties’
tickets. As for small businessmen, “whose sons have just one shop”,
they can run both on the party tickets and for the single-mandate
seats, Minasyan said.

As for the necessity of amending the Electoral Code of Armenia, the
Republican parliamentarian said relevant hearings will be held in the
parliament on Wednesday. He said that the mixed electoral system is
the best for Armenia considering that the country’s parliament is a
single- house.

ANC: ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES HAVE DEFRAUDED PUBLIC VOTE AGAIN

arminfo
Tuesday, February 14, 12:49

Elections of the community heads at 39 communities in Armenia on
February 12 2012 were fraud and violated Article 66.4 of the Electoral
Code of Armenia, reads the statement by the oppositional Armenian
National Congress.

“In line with the law, the member of the commission responsible for
the ballot-box allows the ballot-paper to be sealed and put into the
ballot-box only after he has verified if the identity certificate
of a voter lacks the seal confirming his participation in the given
elections. On the elections on February 12 the regional electoral
commissions violated that guide and did not send seals to the district
polling stations. In fact, the district electoral commission violated
the law and paved the way to voting fraud,” the statement says.

Representatives of Sasun Mikaelyan, the candidate to the post of
Hrazdan Mayor, registered that fact yet on February 11 sessions at the
electoral commissions. Mikaelyan appealed to the Administrative Court
but his claim was rejected. The Court motivated the rejections with
the transitional provisions in the Electoral Code. In the meantime,
the transitional provisions do not affect the requirements of Article
66.4, which are imperatives.

“Thus, the Armenian authorities have committed another thievery and
defrauded the public vote despite their promises to conduct free and
legal elections. In addition, they once again demonstrated that they
are not ready to respect the provisions of the Electoral Code they had
adopted. The Armenian National Congress demands declaring the elections
invalid at all the 39 communities and punishing the ballot-riggers
from the CEC and the regional electoral commissions,” the ANC states.

ARAM ABRAHAMYAN ON HRAZDAN ELECTIONS AND BRIBING VOTERS PAST AND PRESENT

epress.am
02.14.2012

Chief editor of local daily Aram Abrahamyan (pictured) in his column
today turned his attention to the mayoral elections held in the
northern Armenian town of Hrazdan on Feb. 12:

“The mayoral elections in Hrazdan revealed the model that the ruling
authorities have selected to ensure their victory in the upcoming
parliamentary elections. There won’t be ballot stuffing or outbursts
at the polling stations – the ruling parties will avoid all types of
unpleasant incidents as much as possible. Shutting off the electricity
in polling stations was simply ‘retro’: a tribute to the tradition of
the 90s; an insignificant move, the effectiveness of which is equal
to zero – something similar, I believe, won’t happen again. Instead
of all this, according to the plan, playing a decisive role will be
bribing voters, which, it’s true, has been in practice since 1995,
but this time it will be on a grand scale. I think there is fertile
soil for the practical application of this, because the prevailing
sentiment in our society is ‘it’s all the same, this country won’t
sort itself out.’ And if this is so, then what difference whether
it’s them or them, at least we’ll earn a penny or two.

“To say that there is absolutely no basis for such a sentiment would
be an exaggeration. Of course [opposition candidate] Sasun Mikaelyan
is more charismatic and has demonstrated far greater service to the
homeland than drab, not-particularly-conspicuous official [Republican
Party of Armenia candidate] Aram Danielyan. But if Mr. Mikaelyan
even swears that he didn’t use administrative levers and didn’t
hand out any bribes to become a member of parliament [1999-2008],
I, for example, won’t believe him. Former government officials,
for some reason, are sure or assure you that they achieved power as
a result of the people’s fervent love for them, and the people have
just as much of a fervent hatred now for the current authorities and
vote for them only when bribed. It seems to me, this is a delusion –
there is equal and profound indifference toward everyone. If love for
the opposition candidate was so irresistible, they wouldn’t vote for
his opponent for [a mere] 5,000 drams. Is it worth being surprised
that your opponent does that which you did at one time?

“One more point: when a minister calls a citizen before him on the
street a ‘bum,’ when an unlettered and impudent lawmaker calls his
colleague an animal, we protest it. The same reaction is called
for when Sasun Mikaelyan’s supporters on Facebook call those (in
their opinion, thousands of) people who accepted bribes ‘brutes’ and
‘hookers’ – especially, let me repeat, since the team that put this
into practice is today’s uncompromising opposition and complains of
bribing voters.”

REPUBLICAN MP CALLS RAFFI HOVANNISIAN ‘POLITICAL CLOWN’ IN ALTERCATION WITH HERITAGE PARTY MP

epress.am
02.13.2012

An altercation took place at a press conference today between
Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) MP Karen Avagyan and Heritage
Party MP Stepan (Styopa) Safaryan after the former said Heritage
Party leader Raffi Hovannisian (pictured) is like a “political clown.”

According to Avagyan, by shaving his signature moustache and launching
a hunger strike (for two weeks last March), Hovannisian “created
a circus.”

This statement was followed by Safaryan’s request to the Republican
MP to be appropriate and not provoke him (Safaryan) to direct insults
to Armenian President and HHK party leader Serzh Sargsyan.

“The circus is when [HHK MP] Hermineh Naghdalyan is asked why she
is voting for someone else [in parliament], and she surprised says,
[who] me? When [no-party-affiliate MP] Ara Babloyan cynically responds
to the same question, saying ask me about the medical field. That’s
clownery,” Safaryan added.

The opposition MP also said he was concerned and it pained him when
because of such behavior by ruling parties people are disappointed
with politics in general, including with opposition parties.

During the altercation, Avagyan said he wished the Heritage Party
“political virility”.

“What, should we destroy and annihilate like you so that we may appear
manly – is that virility?” Safaryan retorted.

TROLLEY-BUS BURNS DOWN IN ARMENIA’S CAPITAL

news.am
February 13, 2012 | 13:31

YEREVAN. – An alarm was received that a trolley-bus is burning near
a bridge in Yerevan on Feb. 11.

Firemen arrived at the scene, however, local residents had managed to
put out the fire, Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations informs
Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The dashboard of the trolleybus was partially damaged.

AVIGDOR LIBERMAN PARLE OUVERTEMENT CONTRE LA RECONNAISSANCE DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN
Stephane

armenews.com
lundi 13 fevrier 2012

Le ministre israelien des Affaires etrangères, M. Avigdor Liberman pour
la première fois s’est publiquement prononce contre la reconnaissance
du genocide armenien.

Sa position visant a ne pas menacer le partenariat strategique avec
l’Azerbaïdjan etait identique auparavant mais toutefois, les seuls
fonctionnaires qui l’avait exprimer etaient le vice-ministre Danny
Ayalon et Robert Ilatov, chef du groupe parlementaire Israël est
notre maiso.

S’adressant a la television RTVi, Liberman a declare que les
souffrances que le peuple juif a subi au cours de la Seconde Guerre
mondiale ne peuventt etre compare a aucun evenement. Il a souligne
qu’Israël n’accepte pas les tentatives de tourner d’autres conflits
et massacres en Afrique, en Asie et dans les Balkans comme un autre
Holocauste rapporte IzRus.

” Pas un seul pays, sauf la France a legislativement reconnu le
genocide armenien. Nous n’avons aucune intention d’interferer. De
nos jours, les evenements historiques se transforment en conflit
politique. Par consequent, je ne pense pas qu’Israël doit intervenir
“, a-t-il ajoute.

En mai 2011, Liberman a declare qu’il n’ya aucune chance que la
Knesset reconnaisse le genocide armenien.

OSCE MINSK GROUP FAILED TO FIND WAY TO SOLVE KARABAKH CONFLICT – MP

News.Az
Mon 13 February 2012 06:44 GMT | 6:44 Local Time

The OSCE Minsk group has showed its impossibility to solve the Karabakh
conflict over these 20 years.

The statement came from chief of the Milli Majlis committee for
international relations and interparliamentary ties, head of the
Azerbaijani delegation in PACE Samad Seyidov.

“Throughout its activity, this structure has failed to find the way
to solve the conflict. There is an impression that the OSCE Minsk
Group is created to continue the conflict rather than to solve it.

Certainly, we are not against this format, but things must be called
by their names”, Seyidov said.

Noting that OSCE Minsk Group is co-chaired by such leading states
as the United States, Russia and France, Seyidov voiced bewilderment
that this conflict remains unsettled: “If any organization is unable
to fulfill its mission, it means that it is necessary to discuss its
further activity”.

He also reminded that Azerbaijan is doing everything possible to
discuss this problem within the Council of Europe, but Armenian side
avoids these discussions all the time.