Author: Babajanian Karo

TOP TURKEY COURT RULES JOURNALIST MURDER PROBE WAS FLAWED

Agence France Presse
July 17, 2014 Thursday 4:46 PM GMT

ANKARA, July 17 2014

Turkey’s top court on Thursday ruled that the investigation into the
killing of an ethnic Armenian journalist had been flawed, paving the
way for potential further trials against new suspects.

The constitutional court unanimously decided that the authorities had
failed to carry out an effective investigation into the 2007 killing
of journalist Hrant Dink.

Dink was shot dead in broad daylight by a teenage ultranationalist
outside the offices of his bilingual Agos newspaper.

Ogun Samast, a 17-year-old jobless high-school dropout at the time,
confessed to the murder and was sentenced to almost 23 years in jail
in 2011.

However supporters of Dink’s family believe that those behind the
murder were protected by the state and have asked for a deeper
investigation to uncover officials who were allegedly involved.

In 2012, an Istanbul court sentenced Yasin Hayal to life in prison
for planning the killing but the family is concerned that those who
ordered the killing have never been brought to justice.

It was Dink’s family who made the formal complaint that prompted the
ruling by the constitutional court.

Bahri Belen, lawyer for the Dink family, said that the decision was in
line with a previous verdict issued by the Strasbourg-based European
Court of Human Rights which found Turkey guilty of failure to prevent
the journalist’s murder and carry out an effective probe.

Belen said the latest verdict paved the way for the trial of state
officials who could be implicated in the murder and had so far been
protected by a cover-up.

“I hope there will be positive developments and the court decision
will be implemented,” he told NTV private television.

Dink, 52, had campaigned for reconciliation between Turks and
Armenians, but incurred the wrath of Turkish nationalists for calling
the mass killings of Armenians during World War I a genocide.

RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN BUSINESSMAN’S ARREST AROUSES CONCERN: OPINIONS

21:49 * 17.07.14

In an interview with Tert.am, public and political figure Ashot
Manucharyan has commented on the arrest of Russian-Armenian businessman
Levon Hayrapetyan in Moscow.

“And now we have to understand who is sending a message to whom. This
is one of the symbolic events showing us the situation we are in. It
also shows those holding government posts that the deadline for them
has expired,” Manucharyan said.

According to Armenian media three reasons could account for Levon
Hayrapetyan’s arrests. First, Azerbaijan’s leadership is behind the
arrest. Second, it is Russian authorities’ response to Armenia’s
authorities for putting ex-director of the ArmenTel company Igor
Klimov on the “wanted” list. Third, Levon Hayrapetyan has given
numerous interviews of opposition nature abroad and has problems with
Armenia’s authorities.

Manucharyan rejects the first speculation.

“Levon Hayrapetyan has deep personal ties with Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev and has such ties with his father Heydar Aliyev. I do
not even think of a possibility of Ilham Aliyev masterminding such
a thing.”

Political scientist Styopa Safaryan believes that Russia’s decision
to arrest such an influential figure suggests certain motives.

“Before being arrested Levon Hayrapetyan was in Artsakh
[Nagorno-Karabakh], which is a ground for concern. I think the decision
is the consequence of his aid to Nagorno-Karabakh,” Safaryan said.

According to him, Russia does not like something.

“It may have something in common with the problem of deployment of
Russian troops in Nagorno-Karabakh. It may have something in common
with the formation of closer Russian-Azerbaijani relations. A political
motive is obvious,” Safaryan said.

Crossbencher in the Nagorno-Karabakh Parliament Vardges Baghryan
noted that Levon Hayrapetyan has great influence on Nagorno-Karabakh’s
economic development and social life.

“Considering the latest developments, political implications are
possible. Levon Hayrapetyan developed his business on fair basis, and
it is surprising to hear that he is reportedly involved in [criminal
activities]. We know he has businesses in Russia, Europe and in the
United States and we have never heard for many years that he has been
involved in any frauds.”

“He has always voiced his opinion, and both Armenian and
Nagorno-Karabakh authorities maintain good relations with him. And it
cannot be otherwise because he invested a huge part of his property
in his homeland. It is clear to me that he cannot have any problems
with Armenian or Nagorno-Karabakh authorities in the context of the
latest developments.”

Asked whether this is Russia’s attempt to “show Armenia its place”
or render services to Azerbaijan Baghryan said, “It may be both. I
see political motives.”

Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) parliamentary group member Karine
Achemyan hopes that the investigation will find out all the charges
are baseless.

“Levon Hayrapetyan is known in Russia and is famous for his
philanthropy in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

However, the arrest of Levon Hayrapetyan, who has always focused his
attention on the problems of Armenian Genocide and Nagorno-Karabakh,
could have unfavorable consequences for the conduct of Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh.

DINK’S MURDER ‘NOT EFFICIENTLY PROBED’

Thursday, July 17th, 2014

A poster bearing a picture of Hrant Dink and a Turkish flag are
pictured in front of an Istanbul court

ANKARA–Turkey’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the murder of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was not efficiently probed
and the rights of his family were therefore violated.

The unanimous verdict came after an individual application to the
Court from Hrant Dink’s family, Anadolu Agency reported. The family had
applied to the court on the grounds that they had not been adequately
informed about the investigation and that the probe was neglected.

The ruling came just days after an Istanbul court opened the path
for the investigation of key officials regarding Dink’s murder on
accusations of either intent or negligence. The Istanbul court lifted a
previous decision that ruled there was no need for sanctions against
the former deputy governor of Istanbul, Ergun Gungör, Istanbul
Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah, former Istanbul Police Department
Intelligence Head Ahmet Ä°lhan Guler and six police officers regarding
the 2007 assassination.

The local court recommended an investigation into nine officials
following a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decision. A lawyer
for the Dink family, Hasan Bakırcıoglu, confirmed that it was now
legally possible for a probe against Gungör, Cerrah, Guler and the
six police officers.

Dink, the highly esteemed former editor-in-chief of weekly Agos, was
murdered in broad daylight in front of his newspaper’s building on
Jan. 19, 2007, by a 17-year-old Turkish nationalist. The triggerman,
Ogun Samast, was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to
22 years and 10 months of prison after a two year-trial, but lawyers
representing the Dink family have repeatedly expressed their dismay
over the way the investigations and the trial were conducted.

His assassination sent shockwaves through Turkey and grew into a
wider scandal after it emerged that the security forces knew of a
plot to kill Dink, but failed to act.

Backing up widespread accusations of a state conspiracy, another key
figure in the trial, Erhan Tuncel, claimed in December 2013 that he had
informed the police of the plan, but that his warnings went unheeded.

There have been suggestions that the killing was a result of “deep
state” work, but the court said there was no organization behind the
murder. According to reports, Dink was called to a police department
and “warned” about the plot against him, fueling belief that the
murder was known by some institutions within the state beforehand.

The top court’s decision came as an Istanbul court has once again
postponed the hearing of the case, despite Dink’s lawyer’s calling
for an urgent and just verdict.

The hearing was postponed from July 17 to Oct. 30 on the absence of
Ahmet Ä°skender, one of the main suspects in the case, and the other
18 suspects who did not appear at the hearing.

ARMENIA’S UNWILLINGNESS IN KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT LEAD TO HOSTILITIES

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
July 16 2014

16 July 2014, 10:00 (GMT+05:00)

By Sara Rajabova

Political analyst believe that diplomacy and peace negotiations have
been at a minimum and military processes at the maximum level in
settling Nagorno-Karabakh conflict over the past 20 years.

Director of the Center for Political Innovations and Technologies,
Mubariz Ahmadoglu told Trend news agency that Armenia is unwilling
to resolve the conflict.

“This unwillingness will, in turn, pave the way for military solution
of the conflict,” Ahmadoglu noted.

He said over the past decades, the power balance in Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, as well as the impact of the major centers of power in the
regional processes has changed dramatically in favor of Azerbaijan.

Ahmadoglu noted that the United States, Russia and the European Union
do not support Armenia further as it was before.

“Mechanism of lies”, launched by Armenia, has exhausted its time and
resources without leading to desired effects. Russia, U.S. and Europe
have already been informed about the realities of the conflict and are
well aware of Azerbaijan’s just position, as well as the aggressive
policies of Armenia,” Ahmadoglu said.

He further said when assessing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, it is
important to understand that the South Caucasus have long been a
scene of confrontation between different geopolitical power centers.

He said neighboring Georgia and OSCE Minsk group co-chair France
could contribute to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The meeting of presidents of Georgia and France, George Margvelashvili
and Francois Hollande, in Paris could play a decisive role in this
regard, Ahmadoglu added.

Visiting Armenia, French President Hollande publicly stated that
Armenian version of a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was
wrong and it is necessary to find the right version. Hollande is the
only foreign leader who discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict not
only in Azerbaijan and Armenia, but also in Georgia,” he said.

The expert also noted that Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents have
already held talks in the capitals of different countries except
Tbilisi.

“Logically, Georgia and France should propose to hold a meeting
between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents over the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement in Tbilisi. If France and Georgia are seriously interested
in this proposal, then it could lead to real and practical results,”
Ahamdoglu said.

Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents met last time on November 2013
in Vienna to discuss ways of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims
against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that
displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have
occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized
territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

The UN Security Council’s four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal
have not been enforced to this day.

Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE
Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed
by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The
negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.

BIRTHRIGHT DOESN’T ALWAYS REFER TO TRIPS TO ISRAEL

USA Today
July 16 2014

By: Emma Hinchliffe

If it’s winter break or summer, one thing’s for certain for many
college students: a friend, a classmate or a friend of a friend is
on Birthright.

Taglit-Birthright Israel has exploded in popularity among
Jewish-American college students and young people since it started
sending them on free 10-day trips to Israel in 1999. The program
has sent more than 400,000 young people from 66 countries to Israel
for a trip that includes visits to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea
and other places throughout the country, covering the narratives and
values of Judaism along with learning about contemporary Israel.

The program has been so successful, in fact, that it’s inspired
spin-offs among other cultural groups. The idea that young people
of a certain heritage should visit their ancestral homeland —
the “birthright” behind the name of the Israel program — is not
exclusive to the Jewish diaspora, and that’s the thinking behind
programs following in Birthright’s footsteps.

If you’re not headed to Israel, you might not come home with a photo
on a camel, but these programs have just as much to offer to members
of different cultures.

1. Heritage Greece

Greek-American students can spend part of their summer traveling
to Greece through Heritage Greece, in partnership with the American
College of Greece.

Founded by the National Hellenic Society, Heritage Greece pairs
cultural immersion with education through the college, located in
Athens. Participants, who must be enrolled as undergraduate college
students between 18 and 26 years old, take a one-credit language and
culture course while also experiencing Greece through Greek cooking
classes, time with a Greek family, Greek dance classes and visiting
sights from the Acropolis to lesser-known ancient ruins.

Participants pay $1,000 toward their airfare, and the National Hellenic
Society covers all other costs for the two-week trip. The program sent
its first group of 15 students to Greece in 2010; its last group this
past June was made up of 45 students.

Americans who travel to Israel with Birthright have varying degrees of
connection to their Jewish heritage and to Israel, and Art Dimopoulos,
executive director of the National Hellenic Society, says that is
the main difference between Birthright and Heritage Greece.

“Ours is very different in the sense that we mostly target people
who are disconnected from their heritage, second, third or fourth
generation, with little or no connection to their heritage. Most of
them have never been to Greece,” he says.

Jessica Ridella, a 2014 Cornell University graduate who participated in
Heritage Greece in 2012, says the main difference is Heritage Greece’s
partnership with the American College of Greece. The American students
also spend time with Greek students at the school.

“You’re not just learning about the culture, you’re getting the
academic culture as well,” she says. “I not only got to connect with
my culture, but I also got to see what it was like to study abroad.”

2. ReConnect Hungary

ReConnect Hungary gives young Hungarian-Americans and Canadians
between the ages of 18 and 26 the opportunity to travel to Hungary
and experience Hungarian culture.

The two-week trip starts in Budapest, touring the city’s historical
landmarks and culture, like tanchaz, a folk dance house with
live music. Participants also meet with Hungarian politicians,
businesspeople and other leaders.

Participants pay $1,200, with ReConnect Hungary funding the rest of
the trip and travel. In its first year in 2012, ReConnect Hungary
sent nine Hungarian-Americans and Canadians to the country; this year,
33 applied, but the program was only able to send 15.

The trip extends outside Hungary, to Hungarian communities that were
once part Austro-Hungarian Empire and are now part of other countries,
including the Hungarian community in Serbia. Participants are also
able to visit specific villages their families come from, if they
know what they are, even if those villages are in outside Hungary.

Jon Naser, a senior at the University of Pittsburgh who participated
in ReConnect Hungary in 2012, says traveling to Hungarian communities
outside the country was an essential part of the experience, as was
time he spent on a Hungarian farm.

“I grew up on a farm that my Hungarian grandparents started. Being able
to experience the real thing was an awesome experience,” Naser says.

“They’re making connections all over the place, on the one hand,
and with each other,” says ReConnect Hungary Program Director Laszlo
Hamos. “They come to recognize themselves, through this experience,
that they belong to a broader community.”

3. Birthright Armenia

Birthright Armenia is targeted to an older group of participants,
with a longer-term commitment to time in the country. Participants, who
must be between 20 and 32 years old, commit to volunteering in Armenia
for at least four weeks, and many stay for much longer than that.

The program matches volunteers with a host family, if requested,
or volunteers can find their own accommodations. The program covers
some travel expenses, depending on how long a volunteer is staying
in Armenia, and those who stay for more than 18 weeks receive a
monthly stipend.

More than 800 Armenians from around the world have participated
in Birthright Armenia since 2003, and participants can begin their
service in Armenia at any time.

Participants can engage in traditional volunteer work, or intern with
an Armenian organization or company that matches their interests. They
also take Armenian language classes throughout their time in the
country.

“We can safely say that we have helped break down the stereotypes,
incomplete narratives, misconceptions and general lack of information
about Armenia that inundates wide swaths of our communities worldwide,”
says Marianna Vardanyan, Birthright Armenia’s public relations
and social media manager. “We’ve empowered nearly 900 and soon to
be thousands of alumni of our program with firsthand knowledge and
unwavering support of a developing country with an amazing potential
base that outshadows its set of challenges.”

Armenians live in diaspora around the world partly as a result of the
Armenian Genocide of 1915 in what is now eastern Turkey. The country
became a democracy after the breakup of the Soviet Union — something
Lia Parisyan, who volunteered in Armenia from late March to early July
of this year, says she grew to better understand during her time there.

“The longer-term immersion and also living there and working with the
same group for such a long period of time — you’re not a citizen, but
you get a taste of what it feels like being an expat for that period
of time,” she says. “Your perceptions are constantly evolving. You’re
only seeing the positive for the first month, then you get a sense
of the negative phase and with more time you understand, ‘Oh, this
is where things are coming from.'”

Parisyan, 29, volunteered at Yerevan State University where she worked
on launching the country’s first bioscience center research hub and
developing wine tourism and archeology tourism.

“I’m more confident in in latent skills, my ability to adapt to a
new culture and a different dialect. It’s an empowering experience,”
Parisyan says. “It’s different than being a tourist — it’s being a
traveler. There’s a world of disparity between those two things.”

4. Project Interchange

If you’re not Greek, Hungarian, Armenian or Jewish, there are still
opportunities out there. Project Interchange runs trips to Israel
tailored to specific groups, including some for college students.

Along with weeklong seminars for university presidents and provosts,
Latino leaders, LGBT leaders and city, county and state officials,
Project Interchange also offers programs for student journalists,
student leaders from California colleges and Ivy League student
leaders.

Project Interchange, which is an educational institute that is part
of the American Jewish Committee, covers costs for the trip besides
an initial deposit.

The trip includes the usual Israel sight-seeing, but places its
focus on educational meetings tailored to each delegation’s specific
interests. Participants meet with Israeli and Palestinian politicians,
journalists and other experts in different fields while learning
about Israeli and Palestinian society, history and politics.

“I had a friend go on Birthright at the exact same time, and when
we got back to school he made the joke that I had the educational
trip and he had the tourism trip,” says Leighton Rowell, a junior at
the University of Georgia who participated in Project Interchange’s
campus media seminar this year. “I think Project Interchange focused
a lot more on learning about different perspectives people have on
Israel and Palestine. … I think Birthright is a lot more about
making friends and connecting to this common identity.”

Emma Hinchliffe is a rising senior at Georgetown University

FROM ARMENIA WITH NEWS: LILIT LOVED BEING A SHROPSHIRE STAR NEWSHOUND

Shropshirestar.com, UK
July 16 2014

What makes news abroad? Lilit Kalantaryan, a former journalist from
Armenia who spent time working with the Shropshire Star, provides an
interesting perspective.

“I am Lilit from Armenia; my name is quite common in my country. I
can say that probably every fifth girl in Armenia is called Lilit.

I have had the honour of promoting the UK in Armenia for about two
years. As a communications manager at the British Embassy in Yerevan
I take care of the UK’s positive image in Armenian media. As a former
journalist I know very well what will attract the media and how to
get the embassy’s news on the front pages of papers.

I worked for Armenia’s public TV for several years as a reporter for
the Sunday analytical news programme. That was a very attractive job
for me, with lots of opportunities to tell stories about people.

I now stand from the other side of the ‘barricade’, dealing with media
enquiries and organising interviews for journalists. But sometimes
I desperately feel a need to write and create stories to feel the
greatness of being a reporter. This is why I came to the Shropshire
Star. I want to tell your stories to Armenian readers.

If you look for my country on a map you will find that the Armenian
border resembles a profile of a woman with a slender neck and long,
wavy hair.

It is a small, mountainous country in the South Caucasus region of
Eurasia. Historically, Armenia has been seen as a part of Asia but
in recent years it has been considered a European country, based on
our modern economic and political movements. Formerly, Armenia was
the small part of the Soviet Union with its own national government
and historically rich heritage and traditions.

Now Armenia is a modern, independent, newly developed country where
the state consists of three main elements: legislative, executive
and judicial. But we have a fourth one as well, the media.

There are excessive numbers of media outlets – 747 newspapers and
328 magazines, about 40 TV stations and 20 radio stations serve a
country with a population of three million. Is it too much? If you ask
Armenians they will reply that they need to read and watch the news.

Unfortunately, no completely independent media exists in Armenia.

All are either pro-government or in opposition to the government,
and sponsored by a political party. For the average Armenian it is
quite challenging to get balanced and unbiased information. They need
to read at least one pro-government and one opposition newspaper and
watch two or more TV programmes to have a final and clear vision and
understanding of an issue.

Digital media is the main source of information for the majority of
Armenians. Here they find the most up-to-date, more or less balanced
information. Various Armenian newspapers have alternative online
publications; they use multimedia sources, photos and videos.

Armenian readers like politics and it is the main area that they are
interested in. They read newspapers to be aware of ongoing political
scandals, government or parliament sessions, problems in political
parties and demonstrations. Therefore, the media in Armenia has to
fill papers with political news in order not to lose the interest of
their readers.

If we compare Armenian regional newspapers with British ones, we notice
huge differences in content. I have spotted that the Star mostly
covers human interest stories, things that have a direct connection
to readers.

Armenian papers, on the other hand, mostly post stories which
have a political undercurrent, or shocking criminal cases. Armenian
journalists constantly cover court cases and this is what our readers
like. There are open and closed court hearings in Armenia. During
the open ones journalists are allowed to film, record and take a
photo during the hearing. They can interview solicitors, question
relatives and request information from the press office.

In the UK I have noticed that journalists can just take shorthand and
only after trial are they allowed to interview relevant people. And
I have to admit to being surprised to see so many-drink driving cases
in the Telford Magistrates Court on Monday.

In Armenia police just fine drunk people and let them go afterwards.

I am impressed to see the huge newsroom at the Shropshire Star. They
are professionals who tell lots of important stories and keep their
finger on the pulse of the community. I have learnt here that we are
responsible for telling our audience interesting stories and keeping
them aware, informed and interested.”

About Armenia:

A landlocked country of 3.1 million people, The Republic of Armenia
has Turkey to its west and Georgia to its north The two most popular
languages are Armenian and Russian Armenia became independent from the
Soviet Union in 1991 and joined the Council of Europe a decade later

NO MAN’S LAND; FICTION FROM A WORLD AT WAR

Kirkus Reviews (Print)
July 15, 2014, Tuesday

SECTION: FICTION

“Fiction reveals truth thatreality obscures,” Emerson wrote, a thought
that underpins 46 short piecesassembled by Ayrton (The Alphabet
Garden, 1995) to define the”treacherous blundering tragi-comedy”
that history labels World WarI.Ayrton has drawn from writingsof
major authors recognized for work of that era-William Faulkner,
Erich MariaRemarque, Siegfried Sassoon-but readers seeking a new
perspective will alsofind fiction set in the Balkans, Gallipoli,
and among mountain campaigns whereSerbs, Croats, Greeks, Turks and
Romanians fought and bled, froze and died.Most striking are pieces
written by former Volunteer Aid Detachment workers,mainly upper- and
middle-class women who left lives of privilege to findthemselves among
shot-off faces, gassed lungs and amputated limbs in”stinking yellow
water and grey-green foaming soap, with bloody bandagesand cotton wool
floating in it. Suppurating, nauseating cotton wool.” MaryBorden was a
wealthy Chicago woman who personally financed a field hospital.Borden
also worked as a nurse, and her pieces range from the melancholy to
aspare dialogue script of doctors crammed into an operating tent-a
lunglacerated by three bullet holes is patched, a gangrenous leg is
amputated, anda man with a mortal stomach wound begs for water.

Some pieces are reportorial.Some are surrealist. Others are grotesque,
such as Faulkner’s”Crevasse,” in which marching troops plunge into a
mass grave. Andthen there are the absurdist, such as Hasek’s “Svejk
Goes to the War.”Every piece gives voice to the “timeless confusion,
a chaos of noise,fatigue, anxiety and horror” that is war on the
industrial scale.American readers will appreciate the perspectives
of writers who focus on theexperiences of colonial troops or the
celebrated German Ernst Junger, or VahanTotovents, who explores the
origins of Armenian genocide. It’s a book to be read at random,too
intense to digest in a single reading, but a worthy addition to any
historybuff’s library.

Publication Date: 2014-09-15 Publisher: Pegasus Stage: Adult ISBN:
978-1-60598-649-4 Price: $15.95 Author: Ayrton, Pete

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA WELCOMES NEW ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO WASHINGTON

[ Part 2.1.2: “Attached Text” ]

Armenian Assembly of America News

1334 G Street, N.W., Suite 200

Washington, D.C. 20005

Tel: (202) 393-3434

Fax: (202) 638-4904

E-mail: [email protected]

Web:

Armenian Assembly of America Welcomes New Armenian Ambassador to
Washington

By Peter Kechichian

AAANews Blog

July 16, 2014

Newly appointed Armenian Ambassador to the United States, Tigran
Sargsyan, has officially begun his duties in Washington, D.C. Last
week, Armenian Assembly of America Executive Director Bryan Ardouny
sat down with Sargsyan to discuss ways to deepen the U.S.-Armenia
relationship.

“The Assembly will continue to advance U.S.-Armenia relations, and as
we approach the centennial of the Armenian Genocide we will remember
America’s proud chapter of humanitarian intervention to help save
the survivors of the first genocide of the 20th Century,” Ardouny said.

On Monday, Ambassador Sargsyan officially presented his credentials
to President Obama at a ceremony held in the Oval Office at the
White House.

The former Armenian Prime Minister replaced the long-serving U.S.

ambassador, Tatoul Markarian, who has been appointed as the new Head
of Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union.

According to a press release by the Armenian Ministry for Foreign
Affairs (MFA), Sargsyan emphasized the “high-level and efficient
cooperation” in Armenian-American relations. He also defined his
mission as ambassador as “broadening the scope of mutually beneficial
cooperation and interaction.”

These sentiments were echoed by President Obama, who stated that
“The United States attaches great importance to its relationship with
Armenia.” President Obama also expressed confidence that Sargsyan’s
many years of experience will assist in “deepening the relations
between the two friendly nations.”

Available online at:

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ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN’S OFFICE DIDN’T PROVIDE LAWYER BECAUSE IT LOST DEFENDANT’S CLAIM

07.16.2014 21:45 epress.am

Defendant in the case against Shant Harutyunyan and his friends Vardan
Vardanyan in court today complained about the Armenian Ombudsman’s
office. He said he had asked the Ombudsman to provide counsel, but he
was just informed that his request remained unanswered as it was lost.

“Now I want to address the Ombudsman’s written statement which reads
that the papers were lost. How can someone’s document be lost then
get lost again? They also wrote that the corresponding employee will
deal with the matter. Will you tell [me] what does ‘corresponding
employee’ mean? Doesn’t he have a name, a position? So that the paper
won’t get lost again, I said let me give it to you [the court]. This
once again proves that the authorities use every means against us,”
said the defendant, directing his remarks to the judge.

Recall, Harutyunyan and several of his supporters were arrested on
November 5, 2013, at the start of an anti-government march. They are
accused of “hooliganism” involving weapons or objects used as weapons.

Several local human rights activists and international organizations
consider the men political prisoners.

SOVIET-ERA BUILDINGS RISKY

18:19 16.07.2014

Artak Barseghyan
Public Radio of Armenia

Armenia is situated in a seismically unstable region. The seismic
risk indices updated after the devastating earthquake in Spitak show
that the buildings of Soviet times do not meet the norms.

According to Zaven Khlghatyan, the head of the Earthquake-Resistant
Construction Center of the Armenian National Survey for Seismic
Protection, 4 700 buildings in Yerevan are in a risky condition,
and 40% could completely or partially collapse in case of a strong
earthquake with the number of victims reaching 100 thousand or above.

According to him, the scarcity of financial resources does not allow
to raise the level of seismic resistance in a short period of time. He
added, however, that the newly-constructed buildings correspond to
the seismic norms.