Author: Babajanian Karo

6TH PANARMENIAN OLYMPIAD IN ARMENIAN STUDIES TO UNITE SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM ARMENIA, ARTSAKH AND DIASPORA

15:04, 9 August, 2013

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESSO~I The 6th Panarmenian Olympiad in
Armenian Studies was launched with the participation of the Armenian
schoolchildren from Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora. For the sixth time
the government-sponsored event has provided the Armenian children from
different countries with the opportunity to measure their strength
in the Armenian language, Literature, Armenian history and History of
Armenian culture. As reported by Armenpress, at the opening ceremony
of the 6th Panarmenian Olympiad in Armenian Studies the Advisor to
the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Aram Ananyan read the
message of Tigran Sargsyan to the participants of the Olympiad:

“On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia I would
like to cordially welcome you. I am glad that this event unites
in Armenia so many youth from different countries of the world,
who are participating in this interesting Olympiad directed to the
disclosure of the Armenian identity. During the forthcoming days you
will be provided with the opportunity to prove in practice that you
have obtained comprehensive knowledge. The development of the Armenian
Studies is one of the prior issues for the Government of the Republic
of Armenia in the academic policy. I hope that in the result of the
Olympiad you will more recognize Armenia and will make us happy with
your new successes”, – said the message of the Prime Minister of the
Republic of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan.

The opening ceremony of the 6th Panarmenian Olympiad in Armenian
Studies was attended as well by the Deputy Minister of Education and
Science of the Republic of Armenia Manuk Lazarian and the Deputy
Minister of Diaspora of Armenia Vahe Jilavyan.

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia
organizes two events at the same time in Armenia on August 9-15 2013 –
the 6th Panarmenian Olympiad in Armenian Studies and a History Contest
of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Olympiad can be attended by
the schoolchildren at the age of 14 from the Republic of Armenia,
Artsakh and Diaspora, who have sufficient knowledge. (THE FULL ARTICLE
IS AVAILABLE IN ARMENIAN)

ARMENIA TO PROCESS 172 TONS OF GRAPES THIS YEAR

16:35, August 9, 2013

Wine makers in Armenia met with Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapaetyan
today, telling him that they expected to purchase 172 tons of grapes
this year from producers, which is 14,000 tons more than last year.

Commercial enterprises have already begun to purchase stocks of
tomatoes and peaches for reprocessing.

According to preliminary estimates, there is a demand for 60,000 tons
of vegetables an 34,000 tons of fruit for processing.

MOSCOW COURT OF ARBITRATION TO HEAR NAIRIT CASE ON AUGUST 23

YEREVAN, August 9, / ARKA/. The Moscow Court of Arbitration will
hear a claim of CIS Interstate Bank to Rhinoville Property Limited,
the owner of Armenia’s chemical giant Nairit, on August 23 , Russian
Legal Information Agency said. Nairit was the only plant in the
Soviet Union to produce chloroprene rubber. The plant was closed in
1989 for environmental reasons and resumed operating partially in 1992.

The Interstate Bank demands that Rhinoville Property Limited pay back
$25.183 million. It claims $16.764 million which Rhinoville Property
Limited took from the $70-million credit line that the bank opened for
the company in 2006 and $8.419 million as penalty. Previous hearings
were postponed because of different reasons.

In 2006, 90% of Nairit’s shares were sold to British RHinoville
Property Limited for $40 million. The remaining 10% belong to the
Armenian government. RHinоville Property Limited was set up by
Polish Samex, US Intertex and Russian Eurogaz . In April 2010 the
plant stopped producing rubber. Before the halt, it sold its products
chloroprene rubber- to EU countries, Russia (about 30% of the exports),
the United States and 20 other countries.

The Interstate Bank was founded in 1993 by ten CIS countries –
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. The Interstate Bank operates
with a 100-percent presence of the state capital of its members. The
bank promotes development of CIS member countries’ economies. -0-

– See more at:

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY UP IN ARMENIA

14:13 09.08.13

This January-July, 220 juvenile crimes were committed against 207 in
the corresponding period last year, Deputy Head of the 3rd Department,
Head Department for Organized Crime Control, RA Police, Colonel Nelli
Duryan told journalists on Friday.

On the other hand, fewer juveniles were actually involved in the
crimes – 180 against 184 last year.

“Picking and stealing constitute most of the juvenile crimes, with
fewer grave crimes recorded,” she said.

Juvenile crime prevention programs have for the past two years been
implemented.

“This year we have launched a school police officer program in Yerevan,
Gyumri and Vanadzor,” Duryan said.

As regards begging, the police have registered five children
permanently engaged in begging. Police spare no efforts to identify
such children.

“This year we have four cases of grown-ups forcing children into
begging,” Duryan said. She pointed out that all the beggars are from
Armenia’s regions.

“We are cooperating with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and
offer jobs to such people. But they refuse because they know well they
can get more money by begging. So this is not a mere social problem.

We have children that live in even worse conditions, but they are
not engaged in begging or stealing. This is upbringing and way of
thinking,” Duryan said.

Also, about 1,000 minors attend 13 rehabilitation centers in Yerevan
communities.

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Tel: 818-500-1918
Fax: 818-246-7353
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Glendale Community Opposes Proposed Rate Hikes at City Hall

GLENDALE-On Tuesday, the Glendale City Council held a meeting
regarding a proposed thirty percent electrical rate increase within
the next five years for Glendale Water and Power customers.

The Armenian National Committee of America Glendale Chapter, along
with more than 150 community members, business owners, and
representatives of various community organizations attended in order
to demonstrate their opposition to the recommended plan of an 8%
increase in 2013, a 7% increase in 2014, a 5% increase in 2015, and 2%
increases in both 2016 and 2017. Councilmembers Ara Najarian and
Laura Friedman, along with Mayor Weaver made comments in support of
the plan while Councilmembers Zareh Sinanyan and Frank Quintero were
adamantly against it.

Within mere minutes of the gathering’s commencement Mayor Weaver
collected oral communication cards, and stated he would no longer
accept any more speakers. Due to Weaver’s unwillingness to accept any
more oral communication cards, only about thirty individuals were
allotted two minutes each in speaking time. After thirty speakers,
the general consensus was the following: the rates are too high and
City Council should consider alternatives.

“Most of the community feels that more moderate rates should be
considered, as suggested by two of the Councilmembers,” stated ANCA
Glendale Executive Director Talar Malakian. “After surveying over six
hundred people and collecting over six hundred signatures against the
proposed rates, we have formulated a list of alternatives that may
lessen the increases, such as a cut to the amount of money transferred
from Glendale Water and Power to the City’s General Fund. Another
possibility is to lower the reserve requirement for Glendale Water and
Power. A third option is to authorize a 40 million dollar bond,
instead of a 60 million dollar bond. There are options, but it seems
that some on the dais do not want to consider even looking at them.”

When oral commentary was finished, City Staff, Mayor Weaver and City
Councilmember Laura Friedman echoed that the rate increases were
necessary to get Glendale Water and Power back on track with regards
to reaching the $114 million in reserves of the $124 million amount
set by Council, meeting state mandates and also completing capital
improvements. Councilmember Quintero suggested an alternative 3 to 4%
increase instead and felt that other options should be heavily
considered, while the needs of the utility should be prioritized.

Councilmember Ara Najarian will introduce the proposal to increase the
rates by 8% in 2013, 7%, 5%, 2%, and 2% through 2018, for a vote
during next week’s city council meeting, which will take place
Tuesday, August 13, 2013, 6:00pm at Glendale City Hall (613 E
Broadway, Glendale, CA 91206).

ANCA Glendale advocates for the social, economic, cultural, and
political rights of the city’s Armenian American community and
promotes increased civic participation at the grassroots and public
policy levels.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Library & Museum of America
65 Main St., Watertown, MA. 02472
Tel: 617-926-2562
Web:
Email: [email protected]

Gourgen Manoukian
Paintings Exhibit Opening Reception
Celebrating 50 years in Art

DATE AND TIME
Tuesday, Aug. 27
7:00PM
LOCATION
ALMA
3rd Floor Gallery

ADMISSION
Free
Open to the public
Refreshments following program

Gourgen Manoukian, born in Yerevan, Armenia, studied at the Moscow Art
Institute. He later returned to Armenia and worked in the HAYFILM
studios as an art director where he worked on more than thirty films.
Exhibiting across the Soviet Union, Manoukian worked in a wide range
of artistic expression from graphic design and cinematographic art to
miniatures, costume design and his main interest, painting. His work
has been featured in a variety of publications, including editions of
watercolor, oil painting and a set of specialized illustrations of
Armenian ethnic costumes.

On arrival in the U.S., Manoukian became a member of the “Armenian
Artist Associates of America”, continuing to exhibit across the
U.S. and internationally. His landscapes reflect his memories of
Armenia, featuring converging lines of earth and sky and the
alternation of shadow and sunlight. He believes that the dynamics of
his colors and composition “speak in an international language”,
whether land or seascapes, still-life or architectural renderings.

The opening of this exhibit will take place on Tuesday, August 27 at 7
pm in the Contemporary Art Gallery of ALMA on the 3rd floor. Admission
is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served following
the event.
Exhibit runs from August 27 to October 27, 2013

SOUTH OSSETIA URGES GEORGIA TO SIGN NON-AGGRESSION PACT

19:41 08.08.13

South Ossetia has urged Georgia to sign an agreement on the non-use
of force, ITAR-TASS reported.

“Georgia should drop attempts at misleading the world community by
loose interpretations of facts and juggling with them, sign a treaty
on non-use of force and start the delimitation and demarcation of
the state border between South Ossetia and Georgia,” South Ossetia’s
Foreign Ministry said in a statement in Tskhinval, which is holding
memorable events timed for the fifth anniversary of the Georgian
invasion of South Ossetia.

The South Ossetian Foreign Ministry believes “this would make it
possible to ease tensions in the border territories and create
prerequisites for building trust between the two countries.”

Tskhinval has said that although in August 2008 it signed the
Medvedev-Sarkozy settlement plan, Georgia has done nothing to comply
with the commitments.

“On a variety of excuses the Georgian side systematically upsets
the Geneva discussions and shirks the conclusion of legally binding
agreements to renounce the use of force towards South Ossetia and
Abkhazia. Georgia continues to present its aggression against South
Ossetia as a war between Russia and Georgia,” the South Ossetian
Foreign Ministry said, adding that the Tagliavini commission had
thoroughly studied all circumstances of the events of August 2008
to arrive at the conclusion that it was Georgia that attacked South
Ossetia.

“South Ossetia was forced to use its right to self-defense and to
ask Russia as a guarantor under the Sochi agreement of 1992 for
assistance. In that situation the Russian leadership made a decision
to take measures to coerce Georgia to peace. That decision stemmed
not just from international liabilities, but from noble ethical
principles. The Russian Federation recognized the state independence of
the Republic of South Ossetia as the sole possible step to ensure the
security of South Ossetia and Abkhazia,” the South Ossetian Foreign
Ministry said in a statement.

Tskhinval is certain that “the course of the new Georgian authorities
differs little from the policies of their predecessors.”

“Georgia positions itself as a victim of mythical Russian aggression
and lays claim to the lands of South Ossetia and Abkhazia again and
again,” the South Ossetian Foreign Ministry’s statement read.

Armenian News – Tert.am

EXPORT OF NATURAL AND MINERAL WATERS FROM ARMENIA INCREASED TWICE

10:14, 9 August, 2013

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS: During the months of JanuaryJune of
the year of 2013 the export of the natural and mineral waters from
the Republic of Armenia has made 6,8 million liters.

According to the data provided by the National Statistical Service
of the Republic of Armenia, this indicator exceeds the indices of
the same period of the previous year nearly twice.

The main consumer market of the Armenian waters remains Russia,
the share of the total export volumes of which makes 88%.

In the first half of 2013 natural and mineral waters were exported from
Armenia to Ukraine (171,000 liters), USA (135,000 liters), Kazakhstan
(93,5 thousand liters), Poland (42,000 liters), Estonia (34,4 thousand
liters), Israel (15,3 thousand liters), Latvia (11,2 thousand liters)
and Lebanon (22,3 thousand liters). The Armenian waters appeared also
in the markets of the South African Republic and Great Britain.

During the months of January-June of the year of 2013 the volumes
of the mineral waters (12,691 thousand liters) produced in Armenia
exceeds the indicator of the same period of the previous year (12,305
thousand liters) by 3,1%. The production of the spring waters in the
same period of time has increased by 12,8%.

In the non-alcohol drinks market a 7% growth of prices has been marked
in the first half of the year of 2013.

ABOUT POPULISM

August 8 2013

Recently, one of my friends has observed that populistic materials with
regard to the ‘transport’ protesting of the activists have become more
in our newspaper. If we are talking about the journalistic populism,
fixed-run minivans, to this respect, are not the best topics; to obtain
a reader one should write about Kim Kardashian, or, in extreme case,
about the stars of the Armenian show business. But, my reader probably
meant the perception of political populism, a phenomenon, which, as
a rule, rather hinders, than helps to solve the problems. I imagine
the populism in politics in the following way.

Suppose you must get from point A to point B, let’s say, from Zovuni
to Yerevan, to the PressBuilding. He who imagines the distance and
has passed it, to be honest with the interlocutors, will say that this
distance can be passed by car in 20-30 minutes, depending on the jams.

Theoretically, one can not also rule out that you have your own
helicopter, which will land you off on the roof of the Press building
in 5 minutes. The populist, however, will tell you that he has a magic
ring that you will put on you in Zovuni and a moment later you will
take it off from your finger in your office in the Press building. The
populist, thus, does not want to see the distance between the objective
and the means and presents it in extremely easy, declarative and
demagogic way. “The government to the workers”, “the land to the
farmers”, “the factories to the workers”. Sounds wonderful. Bolsheviks
knew how to seduce masses. All the pain, however, is that these slogans
are utopian, the property and the power can belong only to individuals
(in spite of populistic declarations of our and many other countries’
constitutions). Simply, the remaining population in normal countries
compels these individuals not to excess and know their limits, and
we so far cannot compel our individuals to do so.

“Transport fare should never be raised”, this is a populism.

Approximate like “no inch of land to the enemy.” But, the fare
should be raised legally, the municipality must explain in a clear,
convincing way as to what we are paying for (like in the case of
‘parking’), and also convince us that there is no conflict of interest,
and that private owners are not disguised officials. I think these
are reasonable, realistic requirements, and there is no populism
here. In fact, it is noteworthy that today an anti-populist Prime
Minister is working, the former co-partisan of 90s super populists:
Arshak Sadoyan, Seyran Avagyan, and David Vardanyan. Aram Abrahamyan

Read more at:

FAMILY MEMBERS OF FIRST SPEAKER OF NKR PARLIAMENT IN STABLE, CRITICAL CONDITION

12:27 09/08/2013 ” SOCIETY

The family members of first speaker of NKR parliament Arthur Lazarian
are at Yerevan’s Erebuni Medical Center in stable, critical condition
following yesterday’s car crash, head of the center’s press service,
Shushan Hunanyan, told Panorama.am.

The family of first speaker of NKR parliament Arthur Lazarian suffered
a major car crash in Aragatsotn province of Armenia on August 8. A
Mitsubishi car, driven by Karen Gharibyan, 61, drove off the road at
the 84th km of Yerevan-Gyumri highway and overturned. The driver and
the passengers, Gohar Lazarian, 54, Ruzanna Lazarian and Arthur
Lazarian, 6, were taken to Talin hospital with injuries. Arthur
Lazarian’s 6-year-old grandson died of grave injuries in hospital.

Source: Panorama.am