Author: Babajanian Karo

DON’T EXULT FROM ARMENIAN OPPOSITION FORCES UNITING, CAUTIONS ANALYST

01.14.2014 14:06 epress.am

What’s important at the Jan. 18 rally against the proposed pension
reforms is the participation of the citizens who initiated it and
their adhering to their principles, and not the participation of
the four political parties (Armenian National Congress, Prosperous
Armenia, Armenian Revolutionary Federation, and the Heritage Party)
that have joined the demonstration, said Ruben Mehrabyan, an analyst
with the Armenian Center for Political and International Studies, at
a press conference today, adding that past experience shows that when
citizens are not at the center of political processes such processes
turn into political games.

Mehrabyan admitted that it’s good that parliamentary factions that are
not members of the ruling coalition are united and will participate
in the demonstration, but he advises not to forget that those parties
are quite spotty and some of them made compromises that were not in
the public interest with the ruling authorities in the past.

“We shouldn’t exult from that unity,” he cautioned, remarking that
some people consider positive that former president of Armenia Robert
Kocharian also spoke out against the pension reforms.

Note, the group initiating the struggle against pension reforms places
importance on the four parliamentary parties’ participation in the
march also because those parties have appealed to the Constitutional
Court and have to keep an eye on the issue.

Accordiing to Mehrabyan, it’s important that citizens who are
actively fighting, who are intelligent and the future of Armenia,
realize that this is not only an economic, but also a political
matter. “It’s important that we turn the sectoral struggle into a
systematic struggle. We have examples of when there were sectoral
[fragmentary] successes; for example, the 100 dram [transportation
fare] campaign, which was magnificent. But now it’s not ruled out
that city hall will again make such illegal decisions. The struggle
didn’t lead to a change in policy,” he said.

ARMENIAN CULTURE MINISTRY IN TALKS WITH ARAM GHARABEKIAN’S FAMILY

14:26 13/01/2014 ” CULTURE

Armenia’s Culture Ministry is in talks with the family of renowned
conductor Aram Gharabekian about whether or not his body will be
moved to Armenia. Panorama.am was informed about it by the Ministry.

Aram Gharabekian died Friday in the United States at the age of 58.

He was an Armenian conductor, former Artistic Director and Principal
Conductor of the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia. In 1983,
Gharabekian founded and until 1991 directed and conducted the Boston
SinfoNova Orchestra.

Gharabekian was formerly the Principal Guest Conductor of the NRCU
Symphony Orchestra in Kiev. He led them in recording their first
Compact Disc, featuring Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, which
was released in 1996 on Russian Disc’s “Audiophile Series.” Following
a critically acclaimed guest appearance with the Ukrainian National
Symphony Orchestra in 1991, Maestro Gharabekian was invited by the
Ukrainian Minister of Culture to assume the position of Artistic
Advisor and Conductor.

Active as a guest conductor, Gharabekian had been the Principal
Guest Conductor of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, and appeared
with the Sinfonietta Munchen. He also led the Ukrainian National
Symphony, the Ukrainian State Opera and Ballet, the West Ukrainian
Philharmonic, Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Shreveport Symphony
Orchestra, Fresno Philharmonic, Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra and
Hangzhou Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. On New Year’s Eve in 1999
Gharabekian led an orchestra and chorus in Hangzhou, China of 300
musicians from 6 countries in a televised millennium celebration
concert featuring Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

He graduated from the New England Conservatory in Boston, then
continued his postgraduate studies at Mainz University in Germany. He
studied conducting with Franco Ferrara in Italy, and in 1979 became
one of a few conducting pupils of the famous Sergiu Celibidache in
Germany. Gharabekian also studied composition and conducting under
Jacob Druckman and Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood Music Center in
Massachusetts.

Source: Panorama.am

BATTLE AND BABEL: PM SARGSYAN AND EX-PREZ KOCHARYAN IN SKIRMISH OF WORDS

POLITICS | 14.01.14 | 15:11

By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Armenia’s second president Robert
Kocharyan have been in an ongoing confrontation after the premier’s
year-end interview in which he said that it was during Kocharyan’s
administration that “the construction balloon was blown and blasted,
creating a negative aftereffect”; this was followed by Kocharyan
labeling Sargsyan as a “defective prime-minister, a luxury the country
cannot afford”.

The same “defective” premier during Kocharyan’s presidency chaired the
Central Bank, while today’s authorities are the second president’s
political successors and the heritage Armenia has received from
questionable voting outcomes.

Statements voiced from both parties are an attempt to present this
blame-game as a “healthy political dialogue”, however containing
important messages in between the lines.

Parliament vice-speaker Eduard Sharmazanov has stated that Kocharyan’s
analysis- interviews stand out with unacceptable, at times offensive,
expressions.

“The second president’s interviews are premature, with no foresight of
solutions or ways aimed at the future, which reminds more of analysis
of past events. There is an impression that we are dealing with a
political figure living in the past,” he said.

Oppositional MP Nikol Pashinyan wrote in his Facebook page: “Robert
Kocharyan has assumed a role of a regular oppositionist, making wind…

Why not declare an indefinite sitting strike in Northern Avenue
to demand his loyal friend, banker Tigran Sargsyan’s resignation,
together with whom they sold out the RA gold reserves?”

According to numerous political analysts’ observations, the premier’s
press conference was a step to engage Kocharyan into a political
debate, a gauntlet thrown down to challenge him. The tendency of
continuous responses to one another implies the prime minister’s
attempt to have Kocharyan speak on a more global level, offer his
assessment of President Serzh Sargsyan’s September 3 statement on
joining the Customs Union.

In his second interview Kocharyan criticized the government for
having concealed from the public the raises in natural gas tariffs
and for having accumulated a $300 million-debt, saying it would have
been easier if the authorities had simply apologized. He views as
extremely vulnerable the gas agreement article providing for granting
Armrusgasprom an exclusive right to be the only gas supplier to Armenia
till 2043. He reminded of his decade-long experience of working with
Gasprom and that the company had never presented such a demand to him.

Political analyst Suren Surenyants told irates.am, that Kocharyan is
not the person entitled to talk about the gas deal, as it was during
his tenure that the foundation of “vassal relations” between Armenia
and Russia were laid.

Surenyants also believes with these interviews the second president
has, in fact, lost all his chances of return to major politics.

“By these interviews Kocharyan has dropped his ‘class’, so to say. He
had no courage to enter a debate with the country leader and started
one with the prime minister. Following this logic, for all we know, he
might soon start debating with separate ministers. Kocharyan is forced
to give interviews not to completely lose his influence,” he says.

Many others believe that this is all an attempt to distract
public attention from social issues, as, after all, the system of
administration, the regime is the same – nothing has changed since
2002-2003.

ARMEN MARTIROSYAN: SECOND PRESIDENT’S CRITICISM AT THE PRIME MINISTER – “BEHIND-THE-SCENES STRUGGLE” INSIDE THE POWER

ArmInfo’s interview with Armen Martirosyan, Deputy Head of Heritage Party

by Ashot Safaryan

Tuesday, January 14, 12:24

Mr. Martirosyan, would you comment on the processes inside your party.

The reshuffles inside the parliamentary faction of your party are
mostly taken as a split. Mass media reports on these processes show
the public attention to your party and expectations from it.

We have always been active and will keep acting consistently also in
2014. I think it would be wrong speaking of any split in the party as
our actions are based on the idea of a united and consolidated fight.

Furthermore, we have always supported the initiatives of oter
political forces, civil movements, including the movement of the
Artsakh War veterans for liquidation of the crisis situation in
Armenia. I hope the efforts of the veterans will not be useless
and in February the opposition forces will launch a political fight
together with them. Heritage Party jointly with three parliamentary
parties Prosperous Armenia, ARFD and Armenian National Congress fought
against mandatory accumulative pension system and ratification of gas
agreements with Russia in the passed year. Interaction of these four
political forces, their political will and consistent actions along
with other factors may turn into en effective instrument of changing
the power in the country. We are well aware that without a shift in
power, it is impossible to change the government system. Long-term
solution to problems and liquidation of the challenges the country
has faced implies shift in power, first of all.

Then, what made Tevan Poghosyan to waive his deputy mandate?

We met Tevan Pogosyan to discuss his decision. We positively assessed
his activity within the parliamentary faction. For his part, he assured
us that his decision to waive the mandate is not linked to the work of
the faction. For this reason, we called on him to revise his decision
and go on working as a member of the parliament. The rumors about
disagreements within Heritage are conditioned by several reasons,
first of all, there is a certain interest to the activity of the
party. Secondly, this entire scrape is of an artificial nature.

The point is that the challenges Armenia has faced are conditioned not
so much by the processes within the opposition, as by the policy of
the authorities, unfair distribution of incomes, corruption and other
circumstances. And now to draw the attention of our citizens away from
such problems, the authorities with help of their propaganda machine
wipe up such myths and intrigues around the opposition parties. I
agree that the decision of a member of the parliament to withdraw
from a mandate should be covered by the press. But on the other hand,
it is obvious that this problem is not among the most acute ones in
Armenia today. There are more relevant problems linked with development
of the country and raising of effectiveness of the management system.

Second president Robert Kocharyan has been recently sharply criticizing
these actions of the authorities. What do you think of such “remote
discussion” given that many government positions are still occupied
by the second president’s minions?

No one leaves the political arena after stepping down as president.

This also concerns the second president of Armenia. The levers he had
during his presidency secure his impact on the political processes
even after his presidency. This is especially relevant for Armenia,
where the system has not changed even despite the change of the
presidents and the opposition has never come to power via free and
fair elections. Today Kocharyan has damaging information about a lot
of people who are still at power and in business. Given these factors,
his impact is certainly immense.

In the meantime, I rule out any possible conflict between Robert
Kocharyan and the incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan. I think that
either of them has his own team, and these teams may have discrepancies
related to distribution of resources, since the resources are getting
fewer and fewer. Amid almost 70% poverty in the country and large-scale
migration, the fight for power will only be intensifying. And the
“conflict” between Kocharyan and the Prime Minister should be
considered in this context. It completely fits in the context of
“behind-the-scenes showdowns” inside the power.

Otherwise, Kocharyan would have criticized the President, first
of all, not the Prime Minister. The Head of the Government is not a
representative of a certain political team, he has not been conducting
his own policy, he was appointed by Serzh Sargsyan. And when Kocharyan
chooses the Prime Minister as a target, it becomes clear that there
can be no real conflict between the two presidents.

Depletion of resources and the countrywide anti-governmental public
protests against have not shattered the authorities yet. Don’t you
think that the parliamentary opposition is insufficiently consistent
in its actions and initiatives?

The Armenian authorities’ positions remain strong, first of all,
because the fight against them is pinpoint, not large-scale. Most
of the citizens are still reluctant to take part in this fight. The
citizens fail to come to Liberty Square to express their protest
and prefer expressing their support via social networks only. This
passivity is the key reason of failures in the fight against the
authorities’ actions. Physical presence is needed to gain results.

The fight against the authorities is being conducted discretely. Look
at four parliamentary factions: Heritage, Prosperous Armenia, ARF
Dashnaktsutyun, and Armenian National Congress. Somewhere they join
efforts, for instance, to prevent introduction of the compulsory
accumulative pension system or ratification of the gas agreements
with Russia. But in other affairs they display different stances very
often. However, one thing is clear. Change of power should become
the priority task. The oppositionist is convinced that if all the
four forces realize this necessity, if they understand that long-
term reforms are possible in case of change of power only, they must
conduct a joint fight. In this case, the public will also get involved
in the fight by all means.

Will Prosperous Armenia Party that was once part of the authorities
fight against them now?

Many representatives of Prosperous Armenia say that it can’t go on
this way and it is only the change of power that can improve the
socio-economic situation. But the question whether these statements
will become the official stance of that party and its leader is still
hanging in the air. The same concerns ARFD. Both of these forces were
at the helm of state in their day.

Thank you

PLUS DE 32% DES ARMENIENS VIVANT EN DESSOUS DU SEUIL DE PAUVRETE

ARMENIE

Citant des donnees de la Banque mondiale, le Premier ministre armenien
Tigran Sarkissian a declare que 32,5% de la population d’Armenie vit
en dessous du seuil de pauvrete.

” Aujourd’hui, l’Armenie est un pays pauvre ” a declare Tigran
Sarkissian lors d’un forum des medias intitule ” Au pied du mont Ararat
“.

Le Premier ministre a ajoute que le niveau reel de la pauvrete pourrait
etre encore plus eleve..

Notant que le revenu moyen par habitant (RNB) est seulement d’environ
3000 $, le premier ministre a declare que pour la construction d’une
societe democratique en Armenie, il est necessaire que ce chiffre
s’elève a plus de 12000 $.

Selon le Premier ministre, c’est la condition première de l’emergence
d’une classe moyenne, qui lie son avenir a la realisation de ses
talents et des opportunites, sans compter uniquement sur le soutien
du gouvernement.

mardi 14 janvier 2014, Stephane ©armenews.com

BERTRAND (UMP) ATTEND DE HOLLANDE UN NON A L’ADHESION DE LA TURQUIE A L’UE

POLITIQUE

PARIS, 13 jan 2014 (AFP) – L’ex-ministre UMP Xavier Bertrand a indique
lundi qu’il attendait du president Francois Hollande qu’il s’oppose
a l’adhesion de la Turquie a l’Union europeenne.

“Sur l’Europe, j’attends qu’il dise clairement, avant de se rendre a
Ankara, quelle est sa position sur l’adhesion de la Turquie a l’Union”,
declare M. Bertrand dans un entretien au Figaro. “Il doit avoir le
courage de dire qu’il s’y oppose”, ajoute-t-il.

M. Bertrand dit en outre “attendre de l’UMP”, mais aussi “du PPE
(Parti populaire europeen, ndlr) que cette position soit reaffirmee”.

M. Hollande doit se rendre en Turquie a la fin du mois.

mardi 14 janvier 2014, Ara ©armenews.com

DINER ANNUEL DU CCAF LE 29 JANVIER

FRANCE

Le CCAF organise son dîner annuel le mercredi 29 janvier 2014 en
presence de representant de l’Etat, d’elus de la Republique et de
hautes personnalites.

Invites d’honneur : Madame Christiane Taubira, Garde des Sceaux,
Bernard-Henri Levy, philosophe, Charles Aznavour, ambassadeur itinerant
de l’Armenie Le CCAF lancera le programme ” 2015 : cent ans du genocide
” Salons Hoche

9 avenue Hoche 75008 Paris Reservation par telephone : 07 78 18 81 92
PAF : 150 euros par personne mardi 14 janvier 2014, Ara ©armenews.com

FAMOUS COMPOSER SPEAKS ON HIS CREATION DEVOTED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE (PHOTOS)

January 13, 16:01

By Lilit Petrosyan YEREVAN. – In connection with the 100th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide, world-renowned Polish composer Krzysztof
Penderecki, who has Armenian roots, plans to write a piece for choirs.

Penderecki informed the aforesaid at Monday’s press conference in
Armenian capital city Yerevan.The press conference was devoted to the
composer’s 80th birth anniversary concert series to be held from Monday
to Thursday, and within the framework of the “Yerevan Perspectives”
International Music Festival.

The composer added that he already has written a piece with an Armenian
theme. In Penderecki words, he is visiting Armenia for the third time,
and he is very much inspired by the traditional holding of his days
in the country.

He also expressed his admiration of the Armenian musicians. In turn,
the composer’s wife, Elżbieta Penderecka, who is chairwoman of
the Ludwig van Beethoven Association, gave a high assessment to the
Youth and Philharmonic Orchestras of Armenia.Penderecki also told
reporters about his Armenian roots. In his words, his grandmother
was an Armenian who had moved from Iran to Poland.

Ms. Penderecka added that they are closely linked with the
Polish-Armenian community, and their daughter has Armenian eyes,
which definitely will pass on from one generation to the next.

Photos by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am STYLE

Turkey’s archaeology doyenne dies aged 98
Jan. 12, 2014

One of the most important figures in the archaeology world, Istanbul
University’s retired academic Professor Halet Cambel, has died aged
98. Turkish archaeologist and writer Cambel was found dead in her
house on Jan. 12.

After a ceremony to be held tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Bosphorus
University, Cambel will be buried next to the grave of her husband in
the western province of Mugla.

Born in Berlin, Cambel received undergraduate training in archaeology
at the Sorbonne University in Paris and received a doctorate in 1940
from the University of Istanbul. She competed in the women’s
individual foil event at the 1936 Summer Olympics, becoming the first
Muslim woman ever to compete in the Olympics. After World War II she
began studying with German professor Helmuth Bossert. In 1974, both
came to Karatepe-Aslantas in the southern province of Osmaniye [Black
Mountain, Cilicia], and Cambel went on to dedicate almost her entire
life to this region.

She spent her life for a long time in Karatepe-Arslantas, first living
in a tumulus and then in a modest two-room house. She played a key
role in the understanding of Hittite hieroglyphics by discovering a
tablet with the Phoenician alphabet, which allowed philologists to
decipher the inscription.

Locals made a bust of her in 2005 in honor of her contributions to the region.

PRESS REVIEW
Mathieu Madénian surfs the effect Drucker

Today in France

Monday, December 23, 2013

Mathieu Madénian surfs the effect Drucker

AUTHOR: TD

Its sharp valves and flow gun shake every Sunday the leisurely pace of
“Confidentially Yours.” But before squatter red sofa Michel Drucker,
Mathieu Madénian had already made a name with his first one-man show,
created in April 2010 Point-Point. A show that plays non-stop since
then to Paris (Treviso Bataclan) then province. In total, more than
120,000 people applauded his jokes on Armenians, women, political.

“It is two and a half years of touring and extends until December
2014, welcomes comedian 37 years. Thanks to Drucker, my audience has
expanded. We return in cities where it has already been played, but in
larger rooms, 800 seats instead of 200. And it’s full, so I’m not
going to face! I would have wanted to do a new show before, but this
one is so stupid that I would be asked to say no. ”

A marathon raises no frustration comedian. “I can not get tired,
because I change the show every night, I want the public to Bordeaux
no way the same as that of Lyon. In four years, I added forty-five
minutes and a lot about what I saw or what I observe. I bounced on the
news. At the same time, I started to write the next, I will create in
January 2015. The first is a show virgin, I present myself to people,
the next will be more societal, I will give my opinion on what moves
me. Maybe I’ll play both at the same time, the new to the old Paris
and in the provinces. I have no sex life, so it does not matter! ”

Sunday, January 12, 2014,
Stéphane © armenews.com