Author: Babajanian Karo

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT VISITED RUSSIAN EMBASSY IN YEREVAN

Today – 17:43
13/6/14

Today Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited the embassy of the
Russian Federation in Armenia on the occasion of the country’s public
holiday – Russia Day. Press service of Armenian President informs
about this.

The president congratulated Ambassador Ivan Volinkin and the embassy
staff and wished them successes in carrying out their diplomatic
mission for the benefit of the two peoples’ age-old friendship and
the reinforcement of the Armenian-Russian relations.

Vardan Petrosyan’s Advocate Revealed Misuse By Ministry During Trial
of Accident Case

Pastinfo, News Agency
Law – Saturday, 14 June 2014, 12:12

During the hearing of the case of Vardan Petrosyan his advocate
Nikolay Baghdasaryan made some interesting statements, accusing
officials of misuse.

During the study of evidence, the court published the records of
examination of the Niva car of the victim Arthur Hakobyan drafted by
investigator Hakob Hakobyan which stated that after the accident it
was impossible to open the doors of the car, and the side mirror was
on the driver’s seat.

Vardan Petrosyan’s advocate Nikolay Baghdasaryan announced that the
autogas system had been installed without permission. Besides,
according to him, though the car had an autogas tank and was run on
autogas, the office to which the car belonged issued petroleum checks
for this car.

“The mileages of the car from installation of the gas tank till the
accident scene is available, the difference shows how long the vehicle
used gas but received petroleum checks from officials and calculate
the amount received from the loan organization, from the World Bank,
that has been misused,” the advocate announced. In answer to this
statement Judge Vaghinak Mkrtichyan echoed that the case is brought
under Article 282, and “we are not discussing what additional amounts
and by who were given”.

However, Nikolay Baghdasaryan went on to say that the investigative
body has not investigated this issue. “The submitted documents have
come to prove that they did not notice over 1.5 year that the car had
an autogas tank, when they changed oil,” he said, noting that there is
evidence that the LPG system had been installed illegally, which is a
violation of use of this vehicle and was the cause of death of
victims, not a condition. “If the autogas tank had not been installed
in the car boot, the victims would not have died in this accident,”
the advocate concluded.

Responding to the statement of the advocate, the representative of the
victim Ruben Baloyan said, “I have stated for multiple times that the
gas tank has nothing to do with this accident. It is the next episode
of this trial, and the counsel for the defense is trying to prove that
the accident would not have happened had there not been for the gas
tank.” Ruben Baloyan said the forensic expert’s conclusion on the
cause of death is available but since this evidence has not been
published at this stage of the trial, the judge asked the sides to
refrain from making statements on it.

Prosecutor Arthur Sargsyan announced that there is no factual evidence
attached to the case on the facts mentioned by Nikolay Baghdasaryan.
“These documents do not contain any question whether they install an
autogas tank or not, it is only costs on maintenance,” the prosecutor
said, adding that the maintenance documents are evidence that the car
passed maintenance every month.

Note that the Niva car driven by Arthur Hakobyan at the time of the
accident was the asset of the Agricultural Project Implementation
Unit, a state office which has filed a damage claim against Vardan
Petrosyan for 2.6 million AMD.

By the way, the discussion of the gas tank and that it was the cause
of death of the children angered Arthur Hakobyan, the father of one of
the children who died in the accident, and at the end of the court
sitting he addressed Nikolay Baghdasaryan, “Pull yourself together or
you know how all this may end up. Don’t forget that you ruined two 16
year olds. And whoever forgets, let the same happen to their family.”
Fortunately, the court ushers interfered and prevented a fight between
them.

The trial will continue on Friday, June 20.

– See more at:

Former deputy speaker of PACE Göran Lindblad: I work for Azerbaijan by order

13:59 14/06/2014 >> REGION

Yesterday the former vice president of PACE Göran Lindblad
acknowledged that he has lobbied the interests of Azerbaijan connected
with the Karabakh conflict and had worked commissioned from Baku,
Göran Lindblad told in an interview to “Radio Liberty”, reports the
Azerbaijani portal “Haqqin.az.”

According to portal, Göran Lindblad is familiar with the political
realities of Azerbaijan, as far as “for many years he had represented
it at the Council of Europe and had lobbied the interests of
Azerbaijan in the Karabakh issue.”

Göran Lindblad has told in particular: “After leaving the office in
PACE I worked in Society Europe – Azerbaijan for 18 months and lobbied
the interests of Azerbaijan in the Karabakh issue. This organization
operates in London.”

Former vice president of PACE said that during the time while he was
at an official position in the Assembly, he did not do anything by
order, and learnt about the “caviar diplomacy” only after leaving his
position: “I was doing a commissioned work only after the completion
of my political career. I have never propagated Azerbaijan as the best
place in the world. I lobbied the interests of Azerbaijan only in
connection with issue of return of Karabakh. ”

Göran Lindblad, who recently visited Baku, noted that Azerbaijan is an
authoritarian state and the authorities should settle the Karabakh
conflict and build democracy. “Azerbaijan is a problematic country. I
can say that over the past two years, the human rights situation in
Azerbaijan has deteriorated. Regime has become more repressive,” he
said.

Referring to the issue of political prisoners Lindblad stated that he
had advised Ilham Aliyev to release the political prisoners before the
Azerbaijan’s chairmanship at the Committee of Ministers of the Council
of Europe.

According to him, one of the reasons why the authoritarian countries
reject democracy is their natural wealth. Lindblad also called on the
totalitarian countries to forget about their pasts as soon as
possible. “All the former totalitarian countries should clear out
everything in their history, as it did Germany once. At the same time,
Russia and other CIS countries should be more careful, otherwise
totalitarianism will return in its ugliest form,” he said.

Lindblad believes that Ilham Aliyev “would have won in the last
election anyway”, but despite this, the Azerbaijani authorities take
up the path of repressions against journalists and opposition.
According to the former vice president of PACE, perhaps the Council of
Europe has hastened to accept into their ranks such a country as
Azerbaijan.

In June 2010 at a meeting of the PACE Monitoring Committee the
Co-Rapporteur on Armenian issue was elected Göran Lindblad, known for
his engaged anti-Armenian position. Back in February 2010 he
introduced references to the project concerning Armenia, in which the
participation of army in the events taken place on March 1, 2008 was
qualified as “containing coup elements.” Lindblad also stated he
believes that those arrested in the riots on March 1, 2008 were
political prisoners, until he was proved the contrary. In this regard,
the head of the Armenian delegation to PACE David Harutyunyan stated:
“I hear it for the first time that a man has a right to give negative
ratings until proven the contrary. Such an example of political
immaturity confirms our concerns about the impartiality of
co-rapporteur Lindblad.”

In June 2010 site Panorama.am published a photograph of Goran Lindblad
receiving the book “Armenian terror” from the Azerbaijani agitator.
Back in early October 2009 PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig,
appealed to the Azerbaijani delegation with the demand to stop the
spread of xenophobic propaganda, however this picture is a clear
indication of violation of this requirement. Besides, the fact that
the PACE co-rapporteur on Armenian issue is provided with an
anti-Armenian products make the Azerbaijani agitating propaganda
reveal itself.

In May 2012 the Swedish national evening newspaper “Expressen” wrote
that Goran Lindblad works as a lobbyist at an organization called
“European Society of Azerbaijan>> (TEAS), which has strong ties with
the Azerbaijani regime. The money received from the organization, he
puts into his dental practice. The publication notes that only a few
weeks after the parliamentary elections in Sweden in 2010, when
Lindblad left the parliament, the “European Society of Azerbaijan,”
got in touch with him and at the end of 2010/2011, he began working as
a lobbyist in the organization’s office in Brussels.

In conversation with journalists from the newspaper “Expressen” Goran
Lindblad stated that his task in the organization was to conduct
lobbying activities in the issues concerning the war between
Azerbaijan and Armenia. Former deputy directly stated that he was now
working against their old colleagues in the Council of Europe. “There
is no justification for jailing the political opponents or prohibiting
the peaceful discussions. But they have blessed me in the war against
Armenia,” added the Swedish politician, commenting on Azerbaijan’s
approach to human rights.

Goran Lindblad ties with “TEAS” are subjected to harsh criticism.
Thus, the Swedish Minister for EU Affairs Birgitta Ollson stated that
Azerbaijan is a dictatorship, in which dissident bloggers and
independent journalists are harassed and arrested. Ollson denounced
the ties of former member of the Swedish parliament with the
Azerbaijani regime.

Turks to make Kate Winslet participant of Armenian Genocide denialism

11:36, 14 June, 2014

YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. Advancing the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide, the governmental circles of Turkey keep searching
for new leverages to voice about the Turkish denialism all over the
world. Cinematography is among those leverages. As reports
“Armenpress”, CNN Turk states that the Turkish side will shoot a movie
titled “The Emptiness of My Soul” with participation of Hollywood
stars.

It’s noteworthy that previously the Turkish media used to state that
the movie was titled “The Wound of Our Heart”. CNN Turk reports that
popular Hollywood actress Kate Winslet will star in the movie.

Among other things, the media noted that “the movie will tell not only
about the pains of the Armenians, but the Turks and Kurds as well”.

OTAN
L’Arménie soulève la question de Kessab devant l’Assemblée
parlementaire de l’OTAN

La délégation arménienne auprès de l’Assemblée parlementaire de l’OTAN
a abordé ses préoccupations au sujet de la situation du village de
Kessab en Syrie a annoncé le chef de la délégation, Koryun Nahapetian
aux journalistes lors d’une conférence de presse.

>. Questionné sur les réactions des représentants
de l’OTAN Koryun Nahapetian a noté qu’après l’objection du délégué de
la Turquie, il n’y a eu aucune réaction à la question.

Un membre de la délégation arménienne représentant le Parti Héritage,
Tevan Poghosian, a dit qu’il n’y a pas de tradition d’affrontement
entre membre partenaire de l’OTAN en aucune façon. Selon Poghosian,
s’attendre à ce que quelqu’un de l’OTAN remue un doigt à la Turquie
est stupide.

SITUATION IN NAKHCHIVAN

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
June 11, 2014 Wednesday

Baku/11.06.14/Turan: Reports of the fighting on the contact line
of Azerbaijani and Armenian forces on the border of Armenia and
Nakhchivan are untrue, according to comments on this topic in social
networks. In particular, users of the network, with reference to the
local population informed about the fighting on the border Sadarak,
and Shahbuz Julfa district of Nakhchivan. The same sources claimed
that Armenians seized the Lakatag height and hold it.

In turn, the press service of the Defense Ministry said that the
situation at the Nakhchivan direction is stable and is under control
of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. At the same time, local residents
reported Turan correspondent, that intense gunfire was heard in the
area of height Lyakyatag last night and early this morning. “Shooting
from machine guns lasted more than two hours,” said one of the locals.

Note that the report of the Ministry of Defense writes nothing about
skirmishes on the front line. -03B-

LAVROV TO VISIT ARMENIA JUNE 22-23 TO DISCUSS IMPLEMENTATION OF TOP-LEVEL AGTS

ITAR-TASS, Russia
June 11, 2014 Wednesday 09:04 PM GMT+4

MOSCOW June 11

– Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will pay an official visit
to Armenia on June 22-23.

During the visit, Lavrov is scheduled to hold talks with the top
leadership of the country and his counterpart Edward Nalbandian. The
sides will continue “the substantive bilateral dialogue on further
development of allied cooperation and strategic partnership between
our countries”, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, June 11.

Special attention will be paid to the implementation of agreements
reached at the top and high levels, primarily during Russian President
Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Armenia on December 2, 2013.

The ministry said that Lavrov’s visit would give a new impetus to
mutually advantageous cooperation between the two countries.

Trade turnover between Russia and Armenia is growing steadily. “Last
year, trade turnover increased by 10.6 percent from the previous
year and keeps growing this year too. And Russia remains the leading
investor in Armenia,” President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting
with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in May.

Putin recalled that during his latest visit to Armenia important
agreements had been reached and invited Sargsyan to “synchronise
watches” and see “what else needs to be done and where we should
speed up our work”.

Sargsyan said Russian-Armenian relations were developing dynamically
and assured Putin that Yerevan would seek to intensify them.

“We are ready for active work. This is consistent with the historical
tradition of friendship between our nations,” he said.

Russian-Armenian relations are regulated by more than 160 treaties and
agreements, including on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance,
as well as on allied relations.

Before leaving his post in April 2014, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan said Russia and Armenia cooperated most actively in all
areas of interstate relations without exception. Over the past years,
Russian-Armenian cooperation has developed into a rather complex and
multifaceted structure.

He stressed that Russia plays a key role in ensuring Armenia’s security
and has a leading position in its economy.

“Today Russia plays a key role in Armenia’s security system and it
occupies a leading position in our economy,” he said. “Russia is the
main investor in the Armenian economy, one of its main creditors and
one of the major foreign trade partners.”

“We are interested to improve these relations further, which is fully
consistent with our national interests,” the prime minister said.

“Over the past 20-odd years we have not only preserved the
centuries-old friendship between our peoples but we have also enriched
it with new content and raised it to a qualitatively new level,”
Sargsyan said, adding, “Strategic partnership between Armenia and
Russia has crowned this friendship.”

“We give priority among others to diversification of economic
cooperation between our countries. We are convinced that intensive
interaction in sectors that build up innovation potential will give
a boost to our economic cooperation. This will also allow us to fill
our strategic partnership and allied relations between Russia and
Armenia with new substance,” he said.

The two countries have good prospects in many sectors of the economy,
primarily in the energy sector, the power industry, atomic energy,
and many other serious projects.

There is also a big potential in joint development of the
agro-industrial sector in Armenia.

Putin stressed earlier that Russian-Armenian relations had deep
historical roots, had grown into allied partnership and continued to
develop further.

He also expressed confidence that together Russia and Armenia would
be able to further strengthen their relations and expand cooperation
in various multilateral formats, including in the context of Armenia’s
accession to the Customs Union.

Russia promised active support to Armenia’s efforts to join the
Customs Union.

The Customs Union between Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia came into
existence on January 1, 2010. Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia are
to go on with economic integration and vowed to remove all customs
borders between their countries after July 2011.

CARDINAL WAS INTERESTED IN POPE BENEDICT XV LETTER URGING TO STOP ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

June 12, 2014

ARMENPRESS. The letter of Pope Benedict XV to the Ottoman Empire Sultan
Mehmed 5th stored in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, interested
the Catholic priest who had arrived in Armenia to participate in
the International Consultation “Crisis in Syria: Challenges for
Faith Communities “. He carefully examined the letter and was sure
that if properly submitted to the Holy See, it would be reviewed by
the Vatican.

As reports “Armenpress”, the Museum guide, on June 12, introduced
in detail to the clergymen – conference participants from different
churches, the historical events of 1915 and the massacre of 1.5
million Armenians. The Catholic Church representative,

Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick (photo) was interested in the
episode, when the letter written by Pope Benedict XV on September 10,
1915, addressed to the Ottoman Empire Sultan Mehmed 5th was presented.

Theodore Edgar McCarrick (born July 7, 1930) is an American Cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Washington
from 2001 to 2006, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2001.

Pope Benedict XV

ZHOGHOVURD: ARMENIAN PREMIER’S SON-IN-LAW TO BE SENIOR TAXMAN

10:04 * 12.06.14

Head of the Tax Inspectorate of Yerevan’s Shengavit community Ashot
Arzumanyan will be appointed head of staff of Armenia’s Ministry
of Finance.

According to the newspaper, Vahan Mamikonyan, son-in-law of Armenia’s
Premier Hovik Abrahamyan, will be appointed head of the Shengavit
Tax Inspectorate. A few days ago he was relieved of the post of the
Shengavit police department.

Armenian News – Tert.am

JAILED IRANIAN PASTOR BEATEN AND TRANSFERRED TO UNKNOWN LOCATION

CT Australia
June 11 2014

By: Gabriel Ruiz

An Iranian pastor currently serving a six year prison sentence for
leading a house church has reportedly been beaten and transferred to
an unknown location.

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Pastor Behnam Irani was
summoned by Judge Mohammad Yari, Chief of the Sixth Chamber of the
Revolutionary Tribunal at 6:30 a.m. on 7 June.

However, after noticing the summons were irregular and contrary to
judicial process, Irani rejected them and proceeded to write a letter
of protest.

He was subsequently beaten by government intelligence agents and
transferred to an unknown location before he was able to see Judge
Mohammad Yari.

CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas has called on Iranian authorities
to disclose the pastor location and provide him with any medical
treatment needed from wounds suffered as a result of the beatings.

Pastor Irani’s health is deteriorating rapidly. He has been found
unconscious several times in his prison cell when visited, raising
fears for his well-being. In February this year, he underwent surgery
to treat stomach and colon complications.

“We are deeply concerned to hear of the assault on Pastor Irani and his
enforced disappearance, especially given his medical complications,”
Mr Thomas said.

“[We] urge the Iranian authorities to end assaults on prisoners, as
they violate the nation’s obligations under article 10 of the ICCPR,
which states that prisoners should be treated with humanity and with
respect for their inherent human dignity.”

Irani was arrested in 2011 under allegations he was acting against
the interests of national security, but persecution watch groups have
stated the real reason of his imprisonment is for running a house
church in the largely Muslim nation.

He became a pastor in 2002 and is married to Kristina, an Armenian
Christian, with whom he has two children.

According to Release International, Christians in Iran make up just
half a per cent of the population. Many churches have been closed
or restricted to conducting services in Armenian or Assyrian. Most
church meetings in Iran now take place in private homes. Christians are
discriminated against in education, employment and property ownership.