Author: Babajanian Karo

AMBASSADOR: CHINA REFUSES TO SELL OFFENSIVE WEAPONS TO ARMENIA

Trend, Azerbaijan
June 13 2013

Azerbaijan, Baku, June 13 / Trend I. Izzet /

China has not, nor will not sell offensive weapons to Armenia,
Ambassador of China to Azerbaijan Hong Jiuyin said in Baku in response
to a direct question from reporters.

“The Chinese government reaffirms its support for the territorial
integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan. Also, we call for
the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions on
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. China supports the peaceful settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of international law,
as well as the international community’s efforts in this direction,”
the Ambassador said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding
regions of Azerbaijan.

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 occupied territories.

FESTIVAL OF ITALIAN CUISINE OPENS IN YEREVAN (PHOTO)

JUNE 13, 15:23

YEREVAN. – THE FOURTH FESTIVAL OF THE ITALIAN CUISINE OPENED THIS WEEK
in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan.

“Food is an art,” Italian Ambassador Bruno Scapini said opening the
festival organized by the embassy. He noted that such events may
attract many tourists to Armenia.

“The goal of the festival is to present Italian cuisine and get
acquainted with experienced Italians chefs,” he said.

Two Italian chefs, Prof. Gianni Frangini and Prof. Marco Paoletti of
the Italian Professional State Institute, were invited to give a
master class to the Armenian cooks.

During the press conference, Ambassador Scapini said the week of
Italian cuisine, preservation and development of national cuisine, has
an important role for Italy and Armenia.

The meeting was followed by a reception during which Italian
restaurants presented their best dishes. Another surprise was
presentation of the representatives of two Italian companies Buffalo
Mozzarella and Cantina Di Soave.

ARMENIA’S INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO HONOUR RIGHTS ADVOCATES

June 13, 2013 | 19:10

YEREVAN. – U.S. Embassy, Delegation of the European Union to Armenia,
British Embassy, OSCE Office in Yerevan, Council of Europe Office in
Yerevan and Counterpart International honoured individuals working to
promote human rights, accountable governance, civic activism and free
speech in Armenia at the Universal Rights Awards Ceremony at the U.S.
Embassy in Yerevan.

Since 2012, the Universal Rights Awards Ceremony was the first
multi-mission initiative to highlight the contributions of Armenia’s
civil rights activists, government officials, and media and civil
society representatives to the promotion of human rights. Armenian
government officials, foreign diplomats, NGO representatives, and
the press attended the event.

Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, Oleksandr Pavlyuk
awarded Levon Barseghyan, Director of Asparez Club with the “Freedom
Defender” Award.

“Levon has demonstrated extraordinary courage and remarkable personal
commitment in defending a broad spectrum of rights and in providing
an open platform for the exercise of free speech to virtually anyone
irrespective of their political, national, social or religious views,”
said Mr. Pavlyuk.

The British Ambassador to Armenia, Kathy Leach, awarded Europe in
Law for “Civic Activism.” In her speech she said, “The winners of
this year’s civic activism award – Europe in Law Association – have
shown that one vital tool for protecting our right to vote is the legal
system itself. It requires a professional and painstaking approach with
a first-class understanding of the law – this group of young lawyers
have shown that they have the determination to make a difference.”

“Media Excellence” Award was given by the country representative of
Counterpart International in Armenia, Carel Hofstra, to Civilnet.

“Civilnet has changed and improved the media landscape in Armenia. By
bringing context to news, using all the technological opportunities
that social media offer and by mobilizing young local and diaspora
reporters Civilnet sets a high standard for media outlets in Armenia,”
said Mr. Hofstra.

Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Ambassador Andrey Sorokin
presented the “Woman of Courage” Award to Naira Arakelyan, Head of
Armavir Development Centre. “Naira has demonstrated tremendous courage
promoting economic, social and political development in her community.

She is truly an inspiration, and I am proud to recognize someone who
embodies the spirit of the commitments on which the OSCE is founded,”
Ambassador Sorokin said.

The Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Traian Hristea, presented the
“Government Reformer” Award to the Alaverdi Mayor, Artavazd Varosyan.

“Local communities are important building blocks of Armenian society
and have the potential to become hubs of positive change. Mr.

Varosyan sets the example of a community leader who promotes
transparent and inclusive local government,” said Ambassador Hristea.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

MAYBE FEMALE PRESIDENT WILL BE ABLE TO DISMISS AGHVAN HOVSEPYAN

The refusal of Armenia and Gazprom to present the agreement on the gas
price increase to the Armenian society is another proof of the “male”
and “thieve” relations between Armenia and Russia. These relations are
“brotherly” in criminal sense of the world.

In the “mob” there is a clearly defined hierarchy which rejects any
equality. In interstate relations, the “mob” supposes for the reduction
of sovereignty of the one which is at a lower level in favor of the
other one. This principle is applied in the Armenian-Russian relations.

In both countries “male” relations are mandatory both in home and
foreign policies. Traditional concepts are used – friends shall
not betray each other, a stranger shall be tested on “lousiness”,
“younger” brother shall not contradict the “elder” one etc. God,
mother and homeland are sacred, but only for the mob, as to the others’
gods, mothers and homelands, they can be treated as you wish.

But the important is your “circle” and this determines the fact that
Armenia is unable to come out of the “Soviet” mob.

Hierarchy is inherent in man’s world, which always and everywhere is
divided into castes, aristocracy and vulgar herd, rich and poor. In
the women’s world there is no hierarchy, and perhaps this may explain
the sharp rise of Germany under Angela Merkel’s premiership. She was
appointed to the position of Chancellor and broke the man’s oligarchy
and became a mother for the state.

It is up to specialists to decide whether she is good at leading
economic policy, but Merkel managed to take away the state treasury,
not only German but European, from men who are used to spending money
on fun and confirmation of their status, not thinking about the fridge.

Inability (or lack of wish) of Armenian authorities to fulfill radical
reforms in the country may be determined by the fact that they are
firmly stuck in “brotherly” arrangements – together with Russia and
the rest of the “lads”. It seems they do not even imagine a system
of agreements, especially one based on the law and the Constitution.

In order to come out of this situation, ethnographer Aghasi Tadevosyan
proposes to elect a female president. Perhaps, this will really help.

Anyway the current vicious system of agreements will be destroyed.

Perhaps, the female president will be able to say “no” to Putin and
will buy cheaper gas from Iran, will kindly smile to Samvel Alexanyan
and will seize from him the monopoly on the import of essential
products, and will kindly dismiss Aghvan Hovsepyan for the lack of
interest of the prosecutor’s office on major cases about which mass
media shouts.

As Robert Kocharyan suggested, “there is no man” in this country able
to do it avoiding harm to their health. Perhaps, the female president
will be able.

Naira Hayrumyan 16:45 13/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

JOHN HEFFERN DOES NOT EXCLUDE ARMENIA’S PARTICIPATION IN MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION PROGRAMS

12:54, 14 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS: The progress in the actions plan of the
“Open management cooperation – Armenia” will provide Armenia with the
opportunity to improve the indicators considered by the Millennium
Challenge Corporation. This was stated by the Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of
Armenia John Heffern at the conference “Open management cooperation –
Armenia” held in Yerevan. The Ambassador reminded that earlier our
country was a beneficiary of the Millennium Challenge Corporation
program and this work could considerably help to participate in the
Corporation’s programs again.

“The Government of the Republic of Armenia is closely cooperating in
the framework of the Open management cooperation and we are certain
that the open society and economy will provide the countries with the
opportunity to develop and be more prosperous, safe and peaceful. Our
assistance in the direction of the Open management cooperation is
based on this issue.

Armenia, with its actions plan, assumed quite an important mission and
I know that the Government has already approved this actions plan,
which was discussed and put into operation”, – noted John Heffern,
as reported by Armenpress.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States
of America to the Republic of Armenia John Heffern expressed his hope
that it would be successfully implemented. During the conference “Open
management cooperation – Armenia”, the Government of the Republic of
Armenia will present Armenia’s actions plan of the open management
cooperation and its process of implementation.

PRINCE WILLIAM’S ANCESTORS WERE PART-ARMENIAN, PART-INDIAN, DNA TESTS SHOW

14:42 14.06.2013

Prince William

Prince William will be Britain’s first king with Indian ancestors,
new genetic tests have revealed.

DNA analysis has helped researchers prove the Duke of Cambridge’s
great-great-great-great-great-grandmother Eliza Kerwark was
half-Indian.

Eliza – who is an ancestor of Wills and Harry’s mother Princess Diana –
was always believed to have come from Armenia.

However, new tests on saliva samples given by other descendants,
including Diana’s aunt, show Eliza was half-Indian, The Sun reports.

Researchers have previously traced Diana’s family line back six
generations to Eliza Kework, who was born in western India in around
1790 and is believed to have married Scottish merchant Theodore Forbes
in 1812.

Eliza’s father was an Armenian trader, but there is no record of her
mother. Now the genetic analysis shows she must have been Indian.

EdinburghUniversity genetics expert Jim Wilson, who carried out the
tests on Wills’s relatives, said among Eliza’s DNA was a very rare
type of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) which is only inherited from mothers.

He said that particular genetic code has been found in only 14 other
people before – 13 Indian and one Nepalese.

Inter-racial affairs were common at the time – but researchers say
snobbery could explain why Theodore abandoned Eliza and sent their
young daughter Katherine back to Britain.

Katherine, known as Kitty, went on to marry in Scotland and her
great-great-granddaughter was Frances Burke Roche, who married the
8th Earl Spencer and had five children including Diana Spencer.

Diana’s aunt Mary Roach, one of those who provided DNA, said:
“I always assumed that I was part-Armenian so I am delighted that I
also have an Indian background.”

Dr Wilson said Princes William and Harry would both have inherited
Eliza’s distinctive mtDNA code but would not pass it to their children.

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER ON U.S. CRITICS: ‘HELL WITH YOU’

June 14, 2013 – 13:05 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Iran’s top leader has sharp words for U.S. critics
of his country’s presidential election, which just got under way,
The Associated Press reported.

“Recently I have heard that a U.S. security official said they do not
accept this election. OK, the hell with you,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei said in remarks broadcast by Iran state television.

He spoke shortly after casting his vote Friday, June 14 morning.

Khamenei says if Iran was supposed to wait for U.S. approval, there
would be controversy.

Khamenei has repeatedly called for a high turnout as a reply to
Western governments that have strongly questioned the openness of
Iran’s elections.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Thursday that while the
U.S. does not think the Iranian election process is transparent,
it is not discouraging the Iranian people from voting.

GENERAL COMMAND OF ARMY AND ARMED FORCES: SYRIAN HELICOPTER TARGETED TERRORIST GROUPS FLEEING INTO LEBANESE TERRITORIES

Jun 13, 2013

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The General Command of the Army and the Armed
Forces said in a statement on Wednesday that one of the helicopters
of the Syrian Arab Army on June 12, 2013, targeted a terrorist group
trying to escape to the Lebanese territories.

The helicopter targeted the terrorist group and injured some of its
members while the rest managed to flee into Arsal district where they
were targeted with gunfire from the helicopter, the statement noted.

The Syrian Arab Army will continue fulfilling its duties to protect
the Syrian Arab Republic and preserve the security of its citizens,
and it is committed to respecting the sovereignty of the Lebanese
Republic and its people’s security, the General Command stressed in
the statement.

F.Allafi

SYRIANS PROTEST AGAINST ERDOGAN IN PARIS, VENEZUELANS STRESS SUPPORT TO SYRIA

Jun 09, 2013

PARIS/ CARACAS, (SANA) – The Syrian community in France in cooperation
with Algerian, Tunisian and French citizens protested on Saturday night
outside the Turkish Embassy in Paris in condemnation of the policies of
Erdogan’s government in support of the armed terrorist groups in Syria.

The participants expressed rejection of the support offered
by Erdogan’s government to the armed groups in Syria and the
double-standard policy of the Turkish Justice and Development Party
which brags about supporting democracy and freedom of the peoples while
the recent events in Turkey exposed the falsity of its allegations.

They stressed their support to the leadership, people and army of
Syria, pointing out that Syria was and will remain the “beating heart
of Arabism”.

Forum Expressing Venezuela’s Solidarity with Syria

In another context, a forum was held in the Venezuelan capital
Caracas to express solidarity with Syria in the face of the global
war targeting it.

The forum, organized by the Venezuelan oil company in the eastern
region, was held under the title “Reality about Syria…Arab Spring:
A Step forward or a Step towards Abyss”.

Representative of the oil company in Burrito La Crosse, David Salazar,
stressed in his opening speech Venezuela’s support for the Syrian
people to overcome its crisis.

He affirmed that the new Venezuelan government under the leadership
of President Nicolas Maduro will continue to stand by the countries
which are struggling against the imperialist hegemony.

For his part, the Syrian Ambassador to Venezuela, Ghassan Abbas,
expressed his thanks to the organizer of the forum “for this gesture
which reflects the deep relations between the friendly people of
Syria and Venezuela.”

Abbas also thanked the Venezuelan leadership for its supportive stances
towards Syria in the various fields in light of the solid foundations
previously laid down by President Bashar al-Assad and late President
Hugo Chafez and that are to be developed under President Maduro.

Participants in the event, which was held in cooperation with the
Syrian Embassy and Chairman of the Syrian-Venezuelan Club in Burrito
La Crosse and Cumana, considered that the international conspiracy
against Syria has become in its last stages.

They stressed that those who have been betting on the downfall of
the Syrian state have to reconsider their calculations in light
of the latest victories of the Syrian army against the terrorist
groups, affirming that Syria “is one of the most important symbols
of resistance in the region”.

Afterwards, the form moved to Cumana city in Sucre State with the
participation and auspices of the State’s mayor and a number of MPs
and members of the Syrian and Lebanese communities.

F.Allafi/ H. Said

MINISTER DOESN’T KNOW IF VOROTAN POWER STATION WILL BE SOLD

Minister of Energy Armen Movsisyan told reporters today that there are
several companies interested in Vorotan Hydroelectric Power Station.

“While we have yet decided whether we sell it or not. If there is
an interesting proposal, we will negotiate and decide”, said the
minister. According to him, 200 million USD is necessary for the
modernization of the power station.

Dwelling on the gas price, Armen Movsisyan said that the negotiations
to subsidize natural gas price by 30% are still going on. He does not
think Azerbaijan’s proposal about gas supply is serious. Asked once
again when the contract between Armenia and Russia on the gas price
increase was signed, the minister said that he has not yet checked
it and does not remember.

As to Nairit chemical plant, the minister said that he has
instructed to discuss the technology of the plant to see whether
it is economically expedient. “The general situation is positive,
this technology can still work”, he said.

Armen Movsisyan said negotiations over Nairit are held with ITERA.

Overall debt of the plant is about 100 million USD.

14:42 13/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News: