Author: Babajanian Karo

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF SYRIA IS ABANDONED ORPHANS OF CIVILIZED WORLD – ARMENIAN DELEGATE TO PACE

October 03, 2013 | 13:43

Armenia hosts thousands of Armenian-Syrians refugees and offers
them ultra-rapid citizenship, member of the Armenian delegation to
PACE said.

Arpine Hovhannisyan recalled that during the Armenian Genocide of 1915
thousands of Armenians were saved or found refuge in the rural areas
of Syria that were part of the Ottoman Empire. And it was mostly the
Aleppo area that accommodated the survivors.

“It is time to acknowledge that the Christian communities in the
Middle East and in this case the Armenian Community of Syria are the
abandoned orphans of the civilized world, forgotten and left to the
mercy of mercenaries. The Christian communities, that were once the
catalyst of progress of these ancient lands, are being wiped out.

Unless we acknowledge our responsibilities towards Middle East
countries, we will soon see a different Middle East – a Middle East
free of civilization, any human rights and any hope for the future.

That will take us to a different Europe, therefore a different world.

The world that neither Robert Schuman, nor any of us would ever
imagine,” the statement reads.

‘YES, WE HAVE SOME DIRTY LINEN TO WASH’: HERITAGE GROUP HEAD COMMENTS ON FELLOW-MEMBER’S CONDUCT AT PACE

16:47 03.10.13

Head of the Heritage parliamentary group Rubik Hakobyan believes
that it is up to each MP to decide on how he or she exercises his/her
powers or what questions he or she should raise.

However, he is waiting for Zaruhi Postanjyan to return to Armenia to
make an overall assessment. Mr Hakobyan noted that he would never raise
such a question [i.e. Mrs Postanjyan’s question about 60 to 70 million
Euros that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan allegedly “gambled away”
in a casino] at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE).

“Not because I would not wash our dirty linen in public, but because
Europe shows us it was making use of our shortcomings to press
our state. Yes, we have some dirty linen to wash, but it requires
mass consciousness,” Mr Hakobyan told journalists. Mrs Postanjyan’s
question chiefly lacked political connotations. However, the MP cannot
understand “the provincial pseudo-patriotic parade” in the local media.

With respect to Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan’s decision to made
changes in the Armenian delegation to PACE, Mr Hakobyan said: “The
flowery part of Mr Abrahamyan’s speech that the issue of excluding
Mrs Postanjyan from the Armenian delegation to PACE was discussed
with parliamentary groups may cause misunderstanding. He should at
least have informed the public of the MPs’ opinions – at least of my
opinion as head of the Heritage parliamentary group. First of all,
I raised my objections to any statement. Secondly, it is up to the
parliamentary group to decide on which of their members should form
part of the Armenian delegation to PACE. On the other hand, under
Article 18 of the Rule of Procedure, Mr Abrahamyan has the authority
to approve all the delegations.”

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN RECEIVES GENERAL SECRETARY OF CSTO NIKOLAY BORDYUZHA

19:14, 3 October, 2013

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The president of the Republic of
Armenia Serzh Sargsyan held a meeting with the general secretary of
the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Nikolay Bordyuzha.

As Armenpress was informed from the Department of Public Relations and
Information of the President’s staff of Armenia, Nikolay Bordyuzha
presented the results of the 11th session of interstate commission
on CSTO military-economic cooperation which was held in Yerevan today.

He also spoke about the “Channel-Kavkaz” local anti-drug operation
which will take place this year from 1 to 4 October, in Armenia.

© 2009 ARMENPRESS.am

SYRIA ARMENIANS MOVE TO DISPUTED TERRITORY: AZERBAIJAN

Agence France Presse
October 2, 2013 Wednesday 7:31 PM GMT

UNITED NATIONS, United States, Oct 02 2013

Azerbaijan on Wednesday accused Armenia of resettling Syrian refugees
in a disputed territory the two have been fighting over for decades.

Azerbaijan’s UN ambassador said the rival neighbor had started a “very
dangerous process” by moving Syrian Armenians into Nagorny Karabakh.

Armenia says it has accepted more than 10,000 ethnic Armenians. But
Armenia’s UN envoy said claims they have been moved into Nagorny
Karabakh are “lies and distortion.”

Armenian-backed separatists took Nagorny Karabakh from Azerbaijan in
a war in the early 1990s that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives. A
1994 ceasefire ended major hostilities, but no peace accord has been
reached, and clashes regularly erupt. About 20 troops from either
side have been killed on their frontier this year.

“We continue to receive the reports testifying to purposeful (Armenian)
attempts aimed at encouraging some categories of Syrian refugees to
move to other conflict affected areas,” Azerbaijan’s UN envoy Agshin
Mehdiyev told a news conference.

“We have information that they already started it — settlement of
Syrian refugees in occupied territories — and of course it is a very
dangerous process with unpredictable consequences,” added Mehdiyev,
who is the UN Security Council president for October.

The United Nations recognizes Nagorny Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan.

But Azerbaijanis fled after the war and the population is now
almost completely ethnic Armenian. In the absence of a peace accord,
Azerbaijan and Armenia have rearmed in recent years.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov raised the Syrian
Armenians in a speech to the UN General Assembly last week. The
two governments regularly clash over Nagorny Karabakh at the annual
UN summit.

Mammadyarov said reports of Syrian Armenians being moved into
Nagorny-Karabakh “provide yet more evidence of Armenia’s deliberate
policy of annexation of Azerbaijani lands.”

Armenia’s UN ambassador Garen Nazarian told AFP that Azerbaijan was
“using the Syrian crisis for political goals. Not a single Syrian
Armenian has been moved into that territory.”

He described the Azerbaijan claims as “lies and distortion.”

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan told the General Assembly
last week that his country was “alarmed” by the crisis in Syria.

“The number of refugees Armenia continues to receive already exceeds
10,000, but tens of thousands of Syrian-Armenians still remain in
that country,” he said.

Tens of thousands of Armenians fled to Syria after the mass killing
of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey during World War I.

BAKU USES UN PULPIT TO ATTACK ARMENIA

Thursday, October 3rd, 2013

Azeri fighters are members of a sabotage unit called Jaish
al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar

Neglects to say Azeri mercenaries’ role in rebel movement.

UNITED NATIONS-A day after assuming its temporary-month-long- seat
on the United Nations Security Council, Azerbaijan used its pulpit
to attack Armenia by accusing it of settling Syrian Armenian refugees
in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, reported Agence France Presse.

Azerbaijan’s UN ambassador said Armenia had started a “very dangerous
process” by moving Syrian Armenians into Nagorno-Karabakh.

In August, Azeri news sources, citing Syrian opposition Web sites,
reported that there are 60 Azeris among the ranks of the many different
armed rebel groups battling the Syrian government army. The sources
also reported that some 30 Azeris have been killed during clashes.

According to the same source, the great majority of the Azerbaijani
fighters are members of a sabotage unit called Jaish al-Muhajireen
wal-Ansar, whose leader is probably an Azerbaijani, Abu Yahan.

News sources in Azerbaijan reported in mid-July that “There are 400
Azerbaijanis fighting among the terrorist groups in Syria, Afghanistan,
and Pakistan, of which 3 are women.”

Armenia says it has accepted more than 10,000 Armenians from Syria.

But Armenia’s UN envoy said claims they have been moved into
Nagorno-Karabakh are “lies and distortion.”

“We continue to receive the reports testifying to purposeful (Armenian)
attempts aimed at encouraging some categories of Syrian refugees to
move to other conflict affected areas,” Azerbaijan’s UN envoy Agshin
Mehdiyev told a news conference.

“We have information that they already started it – settlement of
Syrian refugees in occupied territories – and of course it is a very
dangerous process with unpredictable consequences,” added Mehdiyev,
who is the UN Security Council president for October.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov raised the Syrian
Armenians issue in a speech to the UN General Assembly last week.

Mammadyarov said reports of Syrian Armenians being moved into
Nagorno-Karabakh “provide yet more evidence of Armenia’s deliberate
policy of annexation of Azerbaijani lands.”

Armenia’s UN ambassador Garen Nazarian told AFP that Azerbaijan was
“using the Syrian crisis for political goals.” He described the
Azerbaijan claims as “lies and distortion.”

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told the General Assembly
last week that his country was “alarmed” by the crisis in Syria.

“The number of refugees Armenia continues to receive already exceeds
10,000, but tens of thousands of Syrian-Armenians still remain in
that country,” he said.

ARMENIA TO USE PROCEEDS FROM EUROBONDS TO REPAY RUSSIAN LOAN

17:22 03.10.2013

Hasmik Dilanyan
Public Radio of Armenia

Armenia will use the proceeds from Eurobonds to repay the $440 mln
Russian loan and the interests. The decision was made during today’s
sitting of the Government.

According to Minister of Finance David Sargsyan, 60 billion AMD will
be allocated to the Central Bank of Armenia for crediting of small and
medium-sized enterprises. Another 3.9 billion will provided to the “SME
Investments” Universal Credit Organization. Besides, 29 billion will
be allocated to amend the foreign debt management strategy, which will
create favorable conditions for the provision of low-interest loans

According to Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, the issuance of Eurobonds
allows to improve the balance of payments and expect better execution
of next year’s state budget.

/

CSTO COUNTRIES SIGNED MILITARY AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION DOCUMENT

13:25, 3 October, 2013

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS: The member countries of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization strengthen the military and economic
cooperation. On October 1-3 the representatives of the CSTO member
countries – Armenia, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan – signed a protocol in Yerevan at the 11th CSTO session
on the further military and economic cooperation.

As reported by Armenpress, 14 issues were discussed at the session
and it was decided to hold the next CSTO session in Belarus. The
representative of the Russian Federation Georgi Kalamanov was
appointed the new chairman of the Commission for military and economic
cooperation of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization was signed in 1992, May
15. Armenia, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan are among the CSTO member states.

© 2009 ARMENPRESS.am

ARMEN JIGARKHANYAN MARKS 78TH BIRTHDAY

14:41 03/10/2013 ” CULTURE

Famous Armenian theater and cinema actor Armen Jigarkhanyan turns
78 today.

Armen Jigarkhanyan, born on Oct. 3, 1935 is one of the most popular
Armenian actors working in Russia. Jigarkhanyan worked as assistant
cameraman at Armenfilm studios in 1953-1954. He began his acting
career in 1955 at the Russian Stanislavsky Theater in Yerevan, and
in 1967 moved to the Lenkom Theatre in Moscow. In 1969 he joined the
Mayakovsky Academic Theater.

Jigarkhanyan was awarded the Armenian Republican State Prize in 1975
for Triangle and again in 1979 for Snow in Mourning. He appeared as
a chief gangster in the 1979 TV series The Meeting Place Cannot Be
Changed. In 1981 he played a leading role as Nazi Max Richard in an
international Cast in Russian-French Movie Teheran 43. He was given
the title of People’s Artist of the USSR in 1985. In 1996 he founded
his own theater in Moscow.

Source: Panorama.am

WORLD’S TOP ASTRONOMERS TO COME TOGETHER IN YEREVAN

13:26, 3 October, 2013

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The scientific conference, which
is scheduled to be held by the International Astronomical Union
in Yerevan on October 7-11, will promote the establishment of ties
between the young and experienced astronomers. 165 scientists from 35
countries of the world will participate in the upcoming conference. The
Co-Chairman of the Committee of the International Astronomical Union,
Chairman of the Local Committee Areg Mikayelyan stated this at the
course of the press conference held on October 3 in the Press Centre
of “Armenpress” News Agency. In addition Areg Mikayelyan underscored:
“Due to this big conference a number of foreign scientists will visit
Armenia, and this fact may result in very good results. Generally,
each conference brings perpetual and prospective results.”

IAU Symposium 304 is dedicated to B.E. Markarian’s 100th anniversary.

Benyamin Markarian (1913-1985) was the first to conduct and
accomplish a large-area (17,000 sq. deg.) spectroscopic survey to
search for active galaxies. Markarian survey is until now the largest
objective-prism spectroscopic survey, it was the first systematic
search for active galaxies using a new method of UV-excess, it resulted
in the discovery of 1515 UVX galaxies (Markarian galaxies), including
many AGN and Starbursts, first classification of Seyferts into Sy1
and Sy2, and definition of Starburst galaxies.

The Symposium will provide a good opportunity to elaborate a strategy,
based on the acquired experience, to plan future surveys best fitted
to fulfill the needs, and to coordinate follow-up observations with
the new large ground-based and space telescopes.

A number of important astronomical meetings have been organized in
Armenia, mostly in the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO): the
IAU Symposia: #29 in 1966 (Non-Stable Phenomena in Galaxies), #121 in
1986 (Observational Evidence of Activity in Galaxies), #137 in 1989
(Flare Stars in Star Clusters, Associations and Solar Vicinity), and
#194 in 1998 (Activity in Galaxies and Related Phenomena), the IAU
Colloquium #184 in 2001 (AGN Surveys), as well as the all-European
JENAM meeting in 2007. Moreover, the Byurakan International Summer
Schools (BISS) are being organized since 2006, and four successful
schools have been held in 2006, 2008, 2010 (combined with the 32th
IAU ISYA), and 2012.

The IAU Symposium #304 will be held at the National Academy of Sciences
of the Republic of Armenia. The NAS RA big hall will be used for the
scientific sessions. Posters will be displayed in the NAS RA foyer
and coffee breaks will be organized in the same area. Lunches will
be served in the NAS RA canteen, just at 2 minutes walking distance
from the meeting hall.

AIR ARMENIA’S INAUGURAL FLIGHT TO MOSCOW ON OCTOBER 27

Vahe Sarukhanyan

13:58, October 3, 2013

Air Armenia will take to the skies on October 27 with flights to
Moscow.

Armenia’s Civil Aviation Board granted the airline temporary flight
permission this July.

The airline told Hetq that flights are scheduled for St. Petersburg,
Sochi, Rostov, Krasnodar and Samara by the beginning of November.

The airline will be operating a leased Boeing 737 and later an
Airbus A320.

Air Armenia is owned by Vahan Harutyunyan, brother of former Minister
of justice Davit Harutyunyan, and Arsen Avetyan, a former executive
director of state-company Armenian Airways.

On June 6, the Armenian government declared it plan to open the
airlines market in order to make it more competitive.

Thus, there will be three national carriers instead of one. Each
will serve one of the following markets – Europe, the CIS, and the
Middle East.

Air Armenia plans to bid for one of these markets.