Author: Babajanian Karo

VINOKUROV: EXIT FROM TRANSPORT BLOCKADE TO BRING ECONOMIC BREAKTHROUGH TO ARMENIA

YERERVAN, September 24. /ARKA/. Yevgeny Vinokurov, the director of the
Eurasian Bank’s Center for Integration Studies, speaking Tuesday at a
video press conference held for representatives of Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia to present the results of the
Eurasian Bank’s Integration Barometer – 2013, said when Armenia gets
out of the transport blockade and become a railway transit country,
it will enjoy an economic breakthrough.

“The major task is to ensure a non-stop operation of the railway
communication between Russia and Iran through Abkhazia and Georgia.

When it comes online it will enable Armenia to make a breakthrough
to advance towards sustainable economic development. We consider this
as the key long-term projects for Armenia’s economy,” he said.

The 556-km transport corridor from the southern Armenian town of
Meghri, on the border with Iran, to Bavra in the north on the border
with Georgia will open a gateway to the Black Sea. The North-South
transport corridor will enable Armenia to mitigate the effects of
the blockade imposed by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The North -South transport corridor project was initiated by Russia
and Iran. Armenia and Iran have also agreed at the highest level to
consider the possibility of laying a railway link between the two
countries that will become part of the transport corridor.

According to Vinokurov, normalization of Russian-Georgian relations
is a key to the process of Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union
of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

During a visit to Armenia in 2013 January Georgian Prime Minister
Bidzina Ivanishvili spoke about the possible revival of the railway
link between Russia and Armenia through Abkhazia interrupted by the
1992-93 Georgian-Abkahzian war.

Vinokurov pointed out the decrease of the natural gas price and customs
duties for rough diamonds and improvement of the labor migration
situation among the advantages Armenia will have when joins the
Customs Union.

Armenian and Russian presidents, Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin,
made a joint statement on September 3, after they met in Moscow. It
has become known from the statement that Armenia has decided to join
the Customs Union and it intends to take part in formation of Eurasian
Economic Union in the future. Putin said that the Russian Railway
may invest about 15 billion rubles in development of Armenia’s railway.

—0—

18:00 24.09.2013

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: EUROPEAN COURT TO FACE NO MORE RESTRAINTS BECAUSE OF ARMENIA

10:06 ~U 25.09.13

The Armenian and Russian presidents’ joint decision on the Customs
Union membership is expected to seriously affect the European Court
of Human Rights’ (ECtHR) conduct.

The lawyers involved in the cases sent to the court from Armenia
have reportedly admitted in non-public speeches that the European
institutions, including the ECtHR, were in a somewhat uncomfortable
situation until September 3, the day the landmark statement was made.

The problem, according to the paper, is that ECtHR rulings on the
March 1 post-election clashes in Yerevan would by all means have a
political context if the European integration process continued.

“In absolutely all the cases, it would be confirmed that the Armenian
courts incriminated and convicted innocent people. And thise people
would be acquitted under the European Court’s rulings, with all
the consequences arising therefrom. On the other hand, [President]
Serzh Sargsyan launched a ‘European integration’ processes following
the March 1 [tragedy], thus managing to have the Europeans close the
chapter on the March 1. It is, probably, due to this that five years
after the tragedy, no ruling has been passed over the cases sent to
the European Court,” the paper comments.

Armenian News – Tert.am

PAKISTAN : ATTENTAT SANGLANT CONTRE DES CHRETIENS

Publie le : 25-09-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
propose cette information publiee sur le site du CRIF le 24 septembre
2013.

Ces Chretiens pakistanais que l’on assassine

CRIF

Publie le 24 Septembre 2013

Par Marc Knobel

Deux attaques perpetrees ce dimanche 22 septembre 2013 par deux
kamikazes et revendiquees par une faction du Mouvement des talibans
pakistanais (TTP) ont vise l’Eglise de tous les Saints de Peshawar,
la principale ville de la province de Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, dans le
nord-ouest. Horrible !

Selon le ministre pakistanais de l’Interieur, trente-quatre femmes
et sept enfants figurent parmi les morts. Pourtant, les Chretiens
representent a peine 2% de la population pakistanaise (3 millions de
personnes), pays de 180 millions d’habitants a plus de 95% musulmans.

Par ailleurs, leur forte division entre baptistes, methodistes,
evangelistes, mais aussi entre paroisses catholiques les prive de
toute influence.

Triste litanie des violences antichretiennes

En 2009 a Gojra, dans la province du Pendjab (est), une foule en
colère avait brûle 77 maisons de chretiens et tue sept d’entre
eux après des rumeurs de Coran profane. En mars 2011, le ministre
chretien des minorites religieuses a ete assassine. Il militait pour
la suppression de la peine de mort en cas de blasphème, sujet sensible
par excellence: la loi sur le blasphème prevoit que toute personne
qui aura insulte le Coran ou le Prophète sera condamne a mort. Or,
cette loi est surtout utilisee pour regler des conflits de voisinage.

Justement, de Gojra aux meurtres en 2011 de Shahbaz Bhatti et du
gouverneur du Pendjab, Salman Taseer, partisan d’une reforme de la loi
sur le blasphème, en passant par le cas d’Asia Bibi, cette chretienne
condamnee a la peine de mort en 2010, les cas de blasphèmes presumes
se sont multiplies ces dernières annees et de nombreux chretiens
croupissent en prison, accuses a tort de blasphème. En avril 2011,
trois eglises ont ete attaquees en une semaine par des fondamentalistes
musulmans, et une famille menacee de mort s’est cachee en lieu sûr. En
mai 2013, plus de 250 familles chretiennes ont ete menacees de mort et
ont quitte leurs maisons dans le village Chak du district de Khanewal,
dans le sud du Punjab, craignant des attaques de masse et l’incendie
volontaire de leur village.

Le gouvernement du Pakistan doit s’attaquer aux causes de ces
evenements et attentats. Encore faut-il que de tels actes de violence
qui sont commis a l’encontre des Chretiens (ou des chiites) soient
fermement condamnes par la communaute internationale. On se demande
par exemple quelles sont les mesures que l’Union europeenne envisage
de prendre pour amener le Gouvernement pakistanais a modifier sa
legislation et a respecter le droit des minorites religieuses. Et, il y
a urgence, car ces ” episodes ” sanglants demontrent, une fois encore,
la condition de souffrance dans laquelle se trouvent les chretiens.

Marc Knobel

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : CRIF

MANOUK YERGHNYAN REGRETTE L’ABSENCE DE POLITIQUE D’INVESTISSEMENT AGRESSIVE

ARMENIE

L’absence de politique d’investissement dynamique est l’un des plus
grands defauts de l’economie de l’Armenie a declare Manouk Yerghnyan,
chef du centre de recherche Economie et Valeurs.

” Je pense que le pays doit poursuivre une politique plus agressive
pour attirer les investissements etrangers, puisque c’est l’un des
mecanismes de restructuration de l’economie et la realisation d’un
reequipement technologique ” a-t-il dit.

Manouk Yerghnyan a egalement commente les derniers rapports
statistiques officielles, selon lesquelles 293 millions de dollars ont
ete investis dans l’economie de l’Armenie de la part de l’etranger
pour les six premiers mois de cette annee soit 34,7% de moins que
sur la meme periode un an plus tôt, et les investissements etrangers
directs se sont chiffres a 118,1 millions de dollars de janvier a
Juin 2013 en baisse de 64,2% d’annee en annee.

” Il s’agit d’un problème structurel qui a emerge il y a cinq ou six
ans ” a-t-il dit. ” Les placements se composent de deux elements, dont
le plus grand est le profit de reinvestissement. En d’autres termes,
les reinvestissements des benefices des societes qui opèrent deja en
Armenie sont consideres comme des investissements etrangers. Cette
structure a cree la situation suivante – lorsque de grands projets
d’infrastructures sont termines, la baisse ressort “.

mercredi 25 septembre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

NOR SEROUND : ” MOI AUSSI JE VEUX ETRE INTERDIT D’ACCES EN AZERBAIDJAN ! ”

Azerbaïdjan

A la suite de l’edition et de la publication d’une Liste noire etablie
par les autorites azeries, de personnalites internationales s’etant
rendues au Haut-Karabagk, l’ANCA (CDCA americain) et la FRA Nor Seround
lancent une campagne incitant la diaspora armenienne a diffuser les
messages de leurs organisations sur tous les reseaux sociaux.

Question : Êtes-vous sur la Liste noire du President Ilham Aliev ?

Reponse : Conseil : Si vous avez deja visite la Republique du
Haut-Karabagh, la reponse est OUI

Rappelons que -et ce n’est pas une blague- le gouvernement azeri
se dit pret a etudier au cas par cas, les personnes concernees qui
lui demanderont de lever l’interdit. Pourtant, il est precise que
le requerant doit faire amende honorable, et accompagner sa demande
d’une mention precisant que son sejour au Haut Karabagh aurait ete
fortuit ou en tout cas qu’il n’y remettra plus les pieds. LOL…

mercredi 25 septembre 2013, Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY SPEAKER REFUSES TO VISIT AZERBAIJAN’S OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 23 2013

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 23 / Trend, S. Agayeva /

California State Assembly Speaker John Perez has refused to visit
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, an informed source told
Trend today.

This testifies to the fact that officials of foreign countries yield
to no Armenian persuasion and do not want to be included on the list
of undesirable individuals of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Visiting Nagorno-Karabakh and other Azerbaijani regions occupied
by Armenia uncoordinated with Azerbaijan is considered illegal and
individuals who have paid such visits are included on a list of
undesirables of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Earlier, four foreign citizens who have been included in the list
of undesirables of Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry for illegal visiting
the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, are excluded from it.

In their appeals, they stressed that they were fraudulently taken to
the occupied territories.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since
1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding
districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are
currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

ARMENIA’S C.BANK KEEPS REFINANCING RATE UNCHANGED AT 8.50 PCT

Reuters
Sept 24 2013

YEREVAN, Sept 24 | Tue Sep 24, 2013 7:10pm IST

(Reuters) – Armenia’s central bank kept its key refinancing rate
unchanged at 8.50 percent on Tuesday after data showed annual inflation
went beyond the government’s target.

Inflation came at 9.3 percent in August, the central bank said,
up from 8.5 percent recorded in July, higher than the government’s
target range of between 2.5 percent and 5.5 percent for the whole year.

Monthly inflation in August was 0.3 percent, compared to inflation
of 0.4 percent in July.

The central bank raised refinancing rate to 8.50 percent from 8.00
percent in July. (Reporting by Hasmik Lazarian; Writing by Margarita
Antidze; Editing by Louise Heavens)

JAPANESE OFFICIALS CONGRATULATED ARMENIAN PEOPLE N INDEPENDENCE DAY

18:57, 24 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Embassy in Japan organized
an official reception at the “Okura” hotel in Tokyo on September 21
on the occasion of the Independence Day of Armenia. As Armenpress
was informed from the press service of the Armenian MFA, more than
180 guests gathered, members of the Japanese parliament, ministries,
other state agencies and the diplomatic corps.

The event kicked off with the Armenian and Japanese anthems and
seconded by the address of the Armenian Ambassador to Japan Hrant
Poghosyan. He underscored that the Armenian people due to its hard
work has made its country prosperous and increased the number of the
Armenians in different capitals of the world.

Ambassador also emphasized the need for the enhancement of the
Armenian-Japanese cooperation and friendship which has a full and
active agenda.

A congratulatory address was also delivered by a Japanese
parliamentarian Kazuyuki Hamada. He noted that Armenia has been an
interesting and attractive country for the Japanese people because
of its history, culture and tradition. The testimony of that is the
great number of Japanese tourists, businessmen who are interested in
Armenia and visit that country.

During the reception a film “Armenia-The Land of Noah” was shown.

STRAIGHT WAY TO DISMANTLING CSTO

The mass media reported that Serzh Sargsyan criticized statements by
CSTO member states on the Karabakh issue, as well as their supply of
arms to Azerbaijan. However, the Russian-Israeli news agency Regnum
thinks that Sargsyan meant Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan,
which support Azerbaijan in international and regional organizations.

But why these states? First, Tajikistan has never joined such
statements and has always refrained from attempts of anti-Armenian
actions. And the most important and significant one stating the
integrity of Azerbaijan, as well as the main supplier of arms to
Azerbaijan is Russia.

Certainly, now that the sovereignty of Armenia has been yielded
to Russia, there is an illusion that one can ask for more from the
Russians. Meanwhile, Armenia is not driven into the Customs Union to
allow it to express its own opinion.

However, if Armenia really means to have a critical position on
its “partners”, this path straightly leads to destruction of the
pro-Russian military and economic block.

At the same time, there are more significant factors for destroying
CSTO, namely the forthcoming developments in Central Asia after the
reduced presence of NATO in Afghanistan. Uzbekistan left CSTO due to
threats from south.

Now it is not time for goodwill. Now everyone thinks for themselves.

Why should the Central Asians collecting rubbish in Moscow fight for
the interests and security of Russian oligarchs? When serious things
come up, buddies get to have more claims to one another. The work
has started. Who will continue? The Godfather will decide.

Igor Muradyan 17:00 24/09/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

GOLDEN POMEGRANATE EXHIBITION OF ARMENIAN GOODS HELD IN MOSCOW

16:23 ~U 24.09.13

The 5th exhibition of Armenian products Golden Pomegranate was held
in Moscow, Russia, on September 21-22.

The event was organized with the sponsorship of the Moscow Foreign
Economic and International Relations Department on the occasion of
Armenia’s Independence marked on September 21.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition in Moscow’s Revolution Square
was accompanied by Armenian folk music, songs and dances performed by
groups from Yerevan and Moscow. About a hundred industrial enterprises
and companies participated in the exhibition by displaying their
foodstuffs, carpets and other goods.

An Armenian delegation headed by Yerevan Vice-Mayor Aram Sukiasyan,
Moscow government members and other officials participated in the
opening ceremony.

Deputy Head of the Moscow Foreign Economic and International Relations
Department Andrey Chizhov said that the Golden Pomegranate exhibition
is a striking example of the revival of traditions of such events
organized by Armenia in the Russian capital.

Armenian News – Tert.am