Author: Babajanian Karo

Armenia will accept no EaEU accession precondition – ruling party

July 05, 2014 | 12:42

YEREVAN. – Armenia is ready to join the Eurasian Economic Union
(EaEU), but it will not accept any respective precondition.

Ruling Republican Party National Assembly (RPA NA) Faction Head Vahram
Baghdasaryan stated the aforementioned at a press conference on
Saturday.

In his view, although some technical matters had risen on the road to
Armenia’s EaEU accession, these matters already have been resolved.

“Armenia’s accession treaty is prepared and it is sent to the
organization’s three member countries [Russia, Kazakhstan, and
Belarus], which will inform their [relevant] view,” Baghdasaryan said
stressing that there is no obstacle standing in the way of Armenia’s
EaEU accession.

The RPA MP added that Armenia does not decline from the accession agreements.

“That’s why we say that new [accession] terms can’t be proposed,”
Vahram Baghdasaryan said.

Even though Armenia’s Eurasian Economic Union accession document was
expected to be signed on Tuesday, July 1, the process is deferred
indefinitely.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

Serzh Sargsyan’s Last Weapon

Haikazn Ghahriyan, Editor-in-Chief
Comments – Saturday, 05 July 2014, 16:30

On the Constitution Day Serzh Sargsyan released a message and wished
to follow the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia piously.
Besides, he mentioned systemic changes in our country which can’t be
complete and comprehensive without new constitutional amendments.

The Constitution was adopted in 1995 and has not been enforced for a
single day. In that year, on July 5, the parliamentary election and
the constitutional referendum were held. At that time the electoral
fraud machine was launched. Both the referendum and election were
falsified.

In other words, the destruction of constitutional mechanisms and
fundamental rights began on the day of adoption of the constitution.

Later the process was refined and improved, and the continuity and
efficiency of the machine of electoral fraud was ensured.

When Levon Ter-Petrosyan was in government, the personal perceptions
and moral standards of some government groups and clans were binding.
The Constitution was forgotten, it was just a showcase for
legitimization of the government. The country was ruled in accordance
with the perceptions of separate people.

Now that Ter-Petrosyan’s team is speaking about restoring
constitutional rule, it arouses a grin. In fact, he failed to
establish the constitutional state and make the process irreversible.

Next, Robert Kocharyan established the system which is called the
criminal oligarchic rule. It was a solid system based on the
principles of prison, quotas, shadow budget and racketeering. The
Constitution and legislation were replaced by agreements on these
principles.

Unlike the civil society and the political parties, Kocharyan
immediately understood the value of the Constitution. The system had
its internal constitution which was based on another “law”,
agreements, not perceptions of specific people. In other words, the
logic of the state law and system law was actually the same. And
Kocharyan redesigned the Constitution to legitimize the system on the
one hand, and use the Constitution as a weapon against the claims of
the society, on the other hand.

Under Serzh Sargsyan this process could have been completed by
adapting shadow law and criminal agreements to the constitution, like
in some other countries. Now, however, Armenia has a mutant of
criminal rule and clans with blurred internal relations in all
spheres.

Serzh Sargsyan is also well-aware of the value of the Constitution and
is currently preparing a constitutional reform.

Building a constitutional state is hard work, and not every nation
succeeds. Success takes awareness of the meaning and value of the
Constitution and the necessity to enforce it every day.

The Armenian public, its intelligentsia, public and political
institutions lack this awareness.

Instead, the circles which have usurped power have realized the value
of the Constitution and continue to use the Constitution successfully
as a weapon for crushing the lawful claims and rights of the public.

– See more at:

Armenian jewel businesses concerned over free economic zone

14:23 * 05.07.14

The owners of Armenian jewelry companies have serious complaints about
the future activities of a free trade zone whose organizer is a
company owned by a Russian-Armenian businessman.

The zone, Meridian, was launched on the territory of AJA Holding in
accordance with a February 14 Government decision. The company belongs
to Gagik Gevorgyan, a Moscow-based Armenian entrepreneur.

Businessmen complain about inequality, with the plan proposing
exemption from the income and profit tax only for the organizing
company and residents of the free economic zone. The problem becomes
more demanding in light of Armenia’s upcoming accession to the
Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union.

Speaking to Tert.am, CEO of the Armenian Jewelers’ Association Hakob
Darbinyan said they consider equal opportunities to be important for
absolutely all the manufacturers. “Our opinion is that it is necessary
to ensure equal conditions for all, so if anyone enjoys privileges, it
is very bad. We do not urge for depriving the company in question of
that privilege, but dmeand giving those opportunities to all,” he
noted.

A total of 1,000 companies engage in the jewelry manufacturing in
Armenia today.

Sources from Meridian claim that the free economic zone is a state
legislative initiative targeted at boosting export.

In further comments to Tert.am, Head of the Economy Ministry’s
Investment Policy Department Vahagn Lalayan said the privilege is
granted to all future exploiters, not just one company.

“We seek to invite here well-known firms, such as Cartier, Franck
Muller etc. to manufacture, export and realize [their products] on
their own markets,” he said, adding that the free economic zone was
created with the purpose of boosting the third country export.

Deputy Minister Asked For Bribe To Implement ECtHR Decision

Roza Hovhannisyan, Reporter
Law – Saturday, 05 July 2014, 14:33

The European Court of Human Rights will resume the examination of
applications of three families evicted from 25 Buzand Street at the
center of Yerevan. These families were deprived of their property in
the result of demolition of old center of Yerevan. The houses of this
territory were demolished in 2004, and most affected families are
still homeless. In 2011 the ECtHR passed a decision on the cases
Baghdasaryan-Zarikyantses v Armenia, Gharibyan v Armenia and the
Ghasabyans v Armenia but the government of Armenia has not implemented
the decision yet.

In 2010 the European Court informed the three families that the
Armenian government is offering a settlement and proposes to provide
them with apartments. “The European Court informed that the government
is making a proposal and asked if we objected. We agreed, we never
said that the government’s offer was groundless, a sham. The European
Court sent me an official letter in which the representative of
Armenia to the ECtHR then Gevorg Kostanyan informed that the
apartments would be provided to us,” said the chairman of Victims of
Eminent Domain NGO Sedrak Baghdasaryan one of the applicants of the
abovementioned cases.

In November 2011 ECtHR decided that the government of Armenia
reconciled with the applicants of the abovementioned three cases and
will provide them with apartments. According to the court decision,
apartments 31, 117.7 square meters, apartment 47, 117.7 square meters,
and apartment 63, 117.5 square meters at 4/6 Amiryan Street would be
provided to applicants of Baghdasaryan-Zarikyantses v Armenia,
Ghasabyans v Armenia and Gharibyan v Armenia respectively. These three
families were notified of the ruling of the ECtHR by a separate
letter.

The ruling set a deadline of three months. The families waited for
three months for the implementation of the ECtHR decision but having
received no official letter, in February 2012 they wrote a letter to
Gevorg Kostanyan who coordinated execution of ECtHR decisions,
presently the prosecutor general. Two days after sending the letter
the representatives of the three families were invited to the Ministry
of Justice.

“Ruben Melikyan, the ex-deputy minister of justice, met with us who is
now the provost of the Academy of Justice. He told us we have to pay
for the implementation of the court decision. I told Mr. Melikyan
there was no single letter about money in the ruling of the European
Court. It says that the court held that our rights have been violated
in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the Armenian
government must provide us with apartments. Is there any word there
that I have to pay? He said no. If no, then why would I pay? He said
you know what, we supposed that you would give us some money. I said
you are a representative of a government body, I want to figure out
whether the state gave us money through the court? The state did not
give us money, the residents of the territories eligible for eminent
domain received a payment for their property and ownership by the
acquiring company, the state did not spend a cent. I was stunned that
the deputy minister of justice was asking money from me for
incomprehensible reasons,” Sedrak Baghdasaryan told.

Earlier, under a court ruling, Griar CJSC, the contractor, paid his
family 23,000 USD for the house of 55.6 square meters and land at 25
Buzand Street. However, Sedrak Baghdasayan was dissatisfied with the
amount of compensation and applied to the European Court of Human
Rights. He asked the ex-deputy minister whom he should pay the amount,
the minister, the deputy minister or other high-ranking officials?
Sedrak Baghdasaryan asked Ruben Melikyan to send him an official
letter charging him the money, bringing the justification. “He said
OK, I will send you a letter, but he did not. I haven’t received such
a letter,” he said.

“If an official demands money from me which is not envisaged in the
court decision, it means he is asking for a bribe. And could the
deputy minister take this step on his own? Of course, he couldn’t.
Consequently, he was told to do by the ex-minister of justice Hrair
Tovmasyan, and Hrair Tovmasyan might have received orders from higher
levels,” Sedrak Baghdasaryan assumes.

Since 2011 the abovementioned families have not received any official
letter from the government explaining why the decision of ECtHR is not
implemented. Over this period Sedrak Baghdasaryan has inquired from
the State Real Estate Cadastre Committee whom the apartments 31, 40,
63 at 4/6 Amiryan Street belong to. An official response came that the
apartments had been sold a long time ago. “The government is swindling
not only us but also the European Court,” Sedrak Baghdasaryan says.

The residents sent this document to the ECtHR, informing that the
Armenian government has not executed the ruling, they have not been
provided with apartments, and the mentioned apartments have other
owners.

The abovementioned families have learned that ECtHR will resume the
examination of their cases. It means that most probably the ruling
will be against the Republic of Armenia. And the Republic of Armenia
cannot refuse to execute a ruling.

Note that since 2007 the ECtHR has passed 14 rulings on applications
of evicted residents of demolished areas of Yerevan against the
Republic of Armenia. According to Sedrak Baghdasaryan, the total
amount of compensations paid to victims is 500,000 euro.

– See more at:

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN
Ragip Zarakoglu reçu par la ministre de la Diaspora

Hranouche Hagopian la ministre de la Diaspora a reçu le 4 juillet à
Erévan l’écrivain et militant turc Ragip Zarakoglu. Selon le service
de presse du ministère de la Diaspora, Ragip Zarakoglu est à Erévan
pour présenter le livre en turc sur

BOLOGNA AND THE STATES OF LIMBO

The Times Higher Education Supplement
July 3, 2014

Another trip, another capital. But the incentives are strong to take
the long night flights to and from Yerevan, capital of Armenia. Next
year, up to 48 ministers of countries participating in the Bologna
Process, and their entourages as well, will meet here to make a
decisive choice. The European Higher Education Area is proof that
nations across the European region can take measures to make their
systems compatible, and maybe even more comparable, without forcibly
invoking the law. But can the EHEA be sustained under the framework
of the Bologna Process? After 15 years of developing coordination,
is Bologna’s work done? Or are there new avenues to explore?

The conference I am attending – that of EURASHE (the European
Association of Higher Education Institutions that offer professionally
oriented courses) – is an important dry run for the big Bologna
occasion. It attracts the Armenian prime minister, as well as the
country’s minister of education and the big names in Armenian higher
education. It is also a chance to see some of the things that are
institutionally ingrained about Bologna and what originality Armenia
brings.

Armenia is making a regional issue its contribution to this Bologna
phase: what might be done to support higher education systems in the
fragile countries that not only had their economies broken in 1991
with the collapse of the Soviet Union but also bear the burden of
non-recognition as states. They include the breakaway Transnistria
region of Moldova and, looming over Armenian politics, the territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh, disputed to the point of a war with Azerbaijan.

Gayane Harutyunyan, the head of the Bologna Secretariat, speaks with
feeling about “the people in the non-recognised countries who need
quality higher education more than ever”. This generation of students
and academics need to know that they can cross borders with their
degrees recognised. So far, with help from the Council of Europe,
and backing from Bologna Process co-chairmen, study sessions have been
held with senior higher education figures in Moldova and Transnistria.

This may sound a small step. But it seems to me that the initiative is
important in two respects. The Bologna framework has helped Armenia
to turn a specific national problem, the Karabakh, into the generic
problem of non-recognised territories. And Bologna methods ensure
that the policy initiatives for higher education such as this have
wider buy-in. Ms Harutyunyan’s secretariat will have secured support
from all 10 of the revolving Bologna Process co-chairs between 2012
and 2015: the Republic of Ireland and Croatia, Lithuania and Georgia,
Greece and Kazakhstan, Italy and the Holy See and, in the run-up to
the coming conference, Latvia and Iceland.

Given the huge geopolitical tensions in this part of the world and
the narratives of Armenian history emphasising victimhood, it seems
a step with creative potential to think of quality higher education
as a right from which no individual should be cut off, whatever the
stand of their government or their regional overlords. Let us hope
the Bologna ministers take a similar stand.

Anne Corbett is the author of Universities and the Europe of Knowledge
(2005). She is an associate of the London School of Economics.

PUTIN’S DEEP PERSONAL DEFEAT

Naira Hayrumyan, Political Commentator
Comments – Friday, 04 July 2014, 11:54

The Armenian officials did not comment on Kazakhstani foreign
minister’s tweet who mentioned October as the possible time for
accession of Armenia to the Eurasian Union. The Russian foreign
ministry did not comment either.

Apparently, Russia has silently passed Armenia under the “mandate”
of Kazakhstan. Astana has changed the course of Armenian policy at
least three times. In the beginning Nazarbayev announced that Armenia’s
membership to the Eurasian Union is impossible without a settlement of
the Karabakh conflict that will be in favor of Azerbaijan. Later on,
though Serzh Sargsyan asked for time till June 15, Nazarbayev set the
deadline on July 1. Now his foreign minister announces a new deadline.

Putin is not hiding that the issues of Armenia have been delegated to
Kazakhstan. Putin did not utter a word about Aliyev’s letter during
and after the summit in Astana. He did not say anything in Minsk where
he had gone to attend an event dedicated to the 70th anniversary of
liberation of Belarus from fascists. In general, Putin rarely talks
about the Eurasian Union. Either he has lost interest due to the loss
of “Ukraine” or choked Armenia.

Since September 3 Armenia has been waiting to join the Eurasian Union.

The government agencies have been diligently preparing documents for
the Customs Union, Gagik Tsarukyan enlarged his business in Belarus,
the criminals are again shooting freely in the streets of Yerevan,
and people are waiting for simplification of residence rules in Russia.

The past year was not just a lost year, it was a long year of regress
that will last at least till October.

Putin does not need Armenia to join the Eurasian Union. It was clear
from the very beginning. Putin needed to thwart Eastern Partnership.

First he easily detached Azerbaijan from the project, starting trade
on Karabakh and weapons. Next he detached Armenia through threatening
by Azerbaijan. He almost won a victory but was unable to stop the
Eastern Partnership. Three countries eventually separated from the
post-Soviet space. Putin accepted it as his personal defeat.

Now one can find articles in the Russian press which write about
Putin’s gloomy moods and even some fear. There are rumors about
controversies inside the Kremlin team which may escalate into a coup,
and the higher Putin’s rating is, the more probable the coup is.

Putin’s psychology has become a political category. For example,
Zbignew Brzezinski insists that Putin was most offended from Obama when
the latter called Russia a regional power. According to Brzezinski’s
psychoanalysis, the Russian president is depressed and humiliated
because his imperial ambitions crushed after Ukraine.

Yerevan is apparently waiting for certain developments in Moscow,
even the opposition is waiting which decided to postpone its rallies
till fall despite the social combustibility. Important developments
may take place till autumn which will be related to not only Putin’s
psychological situation but also the Turkish presidential elections,
division of Iran and a deal between Iran and the West.

In this respect, the Eurasian time-out is favorable but when the time
out becomes a main policy, the country sinks deeper in the social,
economic and geopolitical pit.

– See more at:

SERGE SARKISSIAN DOIT PARTIR AFFIRME RAFFI HOVANNISIAN

ARMENIE

Le president Serge Sarkissian n’a pas de mandat pour faire adherer
l’Armenie a une alliance des Etats ex-sovietiques dirigee par la
Russie et doit demissionner dès que possible a declare le leader de
l’opposition Raffi Hovannisian.

Raffi Hovannisian a accuse Serge Sarkissian de conduire le pays a la
ruine alors qu’il s’adressait a une conference du parti Zharangutyun
(Heritage), l’une des quatre forces parlementaires qui contestent
conjointement les dirigeants armeniens actuels. > a-t-il dit dans un discours.

> a declare
Hovannisian. Il a laisse entendre que son parti pourrait faire equipe
avec d’autres forces anti-gouvernementales pour faire campagne pour
l’eviction de Sarkissian si ses allies de l’opposition n’arivent pas
a durcir leur ordre du jour commun.

Le parti Zharangutyun a deja essaye sans succès de faire tomber le
gouvernement après l’election presidentielle de l’annee dernière
dans laquelle Raffi Hovannisian etait le principal candidat de
l’opposition. Ce dernier pretend etre le gagnant legitime du scrutin
conteste. Le parti Zharangutyun est aussi le seul membre du quatuor
de l’opposition ouvertement et explicitement oppose a l’adhesion
de l’Armenie dans l’Union economique eurasienne de la Russie, la
Bielorussie et le Kazakhstan recherchee par Serge Sarkissian.

Hovannisian a reaffirme cette position.

> a-t-il dit.

Le chef du parti Zharangutyun a declare que dans ce contexte
Serge Sarkissian est trop illegitime afin de signer des traites
internationaux. Il a egalement reaffirme le soutien solide pour une
integration de l’Armenie avec l’Union europeenne par son parti.

vendredi 4 juillet 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

MAISON AFRIKYANS : TIGRAN HAMASYAN INTERVIENT

ARMENIE

Inquiet du sort du bâtiment Afrikyans vieux de 130 ans le pianiste
de jazz, gagnant en 2006 du Monk internationale jazz, Tigran Hamasyan
a rejoint la lutte pour la preservation de l’immeuble dans le centre
d’Erevan.

Les membres de la campagne civique > ont apporte un piano pour Hamasyan et l’ont place en face du
chantier de construction où le celèbre musicien a donne un concert
en faveur de la preservation de l’edifice historique, utilisant la
musique comme un outil de lutte.

> a-t-il dit.

Sarhat Petrossian, un architecte et un membre de la campagne civique,
a ecrit sur sa page Facebook : >.

Avec un document demandant l’arret immediat du demantèlement de
l’edifice un membre de l’agence de conservation de la culture et
de l’histoire du ministère de la Culture a dit que les documents
presentes par les travailleurs en charge de la construction sont
incomplets. Ainsi, l’agence estime qu’il est necessaire d’arreter
immediatement les travaux de demantèlement avant une presentation
des documents appropries. Malgre tout cela, les travailleurs de
la construction ont continue a extraire les pierres de la facade
du bâtiment.

Un autre motif de l’arret des travaux de demantèlement est la demande
presentee au tribunal par les efforts conjoints du Comite Helsinki
Armenie et l’organisme public urbain Lab qui remet en cause la mairie
de Erevan et la decision du gouvernement sur la suppression du bâtiment
Afrikyans. Une mediation supplementaire est egalement presentee devant
la cour pour arreter les processus.

Par Gayane Lazarian

ArmeniaNow

jeudi 3 juillet 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

LES ENSEIGNANTS EN COLORE FACE A UNE TROP MODESTE HAUSSE DE LEUR SALAIRE

Education

Les enseignants, sous-payes, semblent avoir peu gagne suite a
l’augmentation de plus de 30 % du salaire moyen dans le secteur public
qui a pris effet ce mois-ci.

Les augmentations de salaire, vante par le gouvernement armenien comme
preuve de la reussite de ses politiques socio-economiques, ont touche
quelque 233 000 personnes qui travaillent pour divers organismes
gouvernementaux et institutions publiques. Les fonctionnaires bases
pour la plupart a Erevan sont un des principaux beneficiaires de la
mesure, voyant leur salaire augmenter en moyenne de 68 %.

L’augmentation de salaire pour les 44 000 employes de plus de 1400
ecoles publiques d’Armenie est en realite beaucoup plus modeste. Selon
le gouvernement, elle s’elève a 14 %. Les enseignants et les directions
d’ecole ont cite hier des taux encore plus bas, allant de 8 a 10 %.

Pour les enseignants nes après 1973, ces augmentations seront largement
compenses par des contributions supplementaires de securite sociale
dont ils doivent faire face depuis le 1er juillet, conformement a
la transition de l’Armenie vers un nouveau système de retraite. Les
paiements sont equivalents a 5 % de leur salaire brut.

Shoghakat Babayan, membre d’une ecole secondaire d’Erevan, a parle
de deception generalisee parmi ses collègues. Ils considèrent le
gouvernement comme incapables de tenir ses promesses faites l’annee
dernière. “Ce sont les employes du ministère et les fonctionnaires
gouvernementaux de haut rang qui obtiennent de reelles hausses
salariales “, a t-elle dit.

Selon Babayan, les enseignants travaillant a temps plein a l’ecole
ont jusqu’a present ete paye 74 000 drams (180 dollars) par mois,
soit moins de la moitie du salaire moyen national en Armenie. Elle
dit que la plupart des 22 enseignants de l’ecole travaillent sur une
base a temps partiel, qui gagnent entre 30 000 et 40 000 drams.

Sofia Hovsepian, un psychologue qui travaille dans une autre ecole
Erevan, a dit que son salaire mensuel sera desormais un total de près
de 42 000 drams, par moins de 2000 drams. Elle a rejete la “simulacre”
d’augmentation d’elle-meme et de ses collègues.

” Vous ne pouvez meme pas subsister avec un tel salaire”, a declare
Hovsepian. “Il n’y a pas de contrôle [du gouvernement] dans ce pays.

Ils font ce qu’ils veulent pendant que nous essayons de survivre
tant que nous le pouvons. “” Le salaire aujourd’hui d’un enseignant
ne vaut pas meme une pension “, a t-elle ajoute.

Les salaires du secteur public devaient augmenter en juillet 2013
conformement aux engagements pris par Serge Sarkissian. Le gouvernement
n’a jamais donne de raison pour expliquer ce retard d’un an.

Incidemment, le propre salaire de Sarkissian a ete triple pour
atteindre 1,22 million de drams (3000 $). Le Premier ministre et
les membres de son cabinet, dont de nombreux particuliers fortunes,
ont obtenu des augmentations de salaire egalement drastiques.

jeudi 3 juillet 2014, Claire (c)armenews.com