Author: Babajanian Karo

ARMENIA LOOKS WEST, TRIES TO LOOSEN MOSCOW’S GRIP

International Relations & Security Network ISN, Zurich
June 12 2013

Rally in Yerevan, Republic of Armenia

Will Armenia sign up to the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement
with the European Union this coming November? Robert Coalson believes
it will and that it marks yet another attempt by Yerevan to rebalance
its ties with Russia.

By Robert Coalson for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)

It seemed like a small event, but it got a lot of tongues wagging.

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian decided not to attend an “informal
summit” of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO) on May 28. Sarkisian’s office cited Armenia’s Republic Day
holiday that day and a visit to Yerevan by Britain’s Prince Charles.

Nonetheless, Sarkisian’s decision was taken by many as a sign of
discontent in Moscow’s relations with Armenia, which has long been
Russia’s most reliable partner in the South Caucasus.

Richard Giragosian, director of an independent think tank in Yerevan
called the Regional Studies Center, says Armenia has been quietly
forging a new “strategic vision” aimed at reducing the country’s
subservience to Moscow.

“For many years, Armenia was in grave danger of becoming little more
than a Russian garrison state, marked by significant overdependence
on Russia and, at times, political submission to Russia’s interests,”
Giragosian says. “This has changed in the past two to three years,
however.”

During that time, Yerevan has boosted cooperation with NATO and has
actively engaged the European Union as a participant in the bloc’s
Eastern Partnership.

Although Armenia’s involvement in the Eastern Partnership has been
somewhat quieter than that of Ukraine or Moldova, Yerevan is on track
for the big prize — the signing of a Deep and Comprehensive Free
Trade Agreement at the partnership’s November summit in Vilnius.

Big Shift?

Armenian officials, however, have been quick to emphasize that
bilateral relations with Russia are “excellent.” On May 30, National
Security Council Secretary Artur Baghdasarian made the point strongly
at a press briefing seemingly aimed at squelching speculation of
a rift.

“I believe Armenian-Russian relations are excellent and positive,”
Baghdasarian said. “The Armenian-Russian political dialogue is
at the highest level — between the presidents and governments,
foreign ministers, and security councils. Armenian-Russian strategic
cooperation is successfully developing in every sphere.”

Baghdasaryan noted that Armenia sent a high-level delegation to
Bishkek, including Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian.

Giragosian agrees that the shift in Russian-Armenian relations is
more evolutionary than revolutionary.

But it is an important shift, particularly in the context of Russia’s
bid to increase its influence in the South Caucasus as a whole.

Moscow’s relations with Azerbaijan have long been frosty and relations
with Georgia, while improving since Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili
came to power in October, remain poor because of many issues lingering
from the August 2008 war.

Moscow Pressure

Russia’s position vis-a-vis Armenia is strong. It offers Armenia
military and political support in its contentious relations with
neighboring Azerbaijan. It also controls key parts of the Armenian
economy, especially the energy sector. Moreover, Armenia’s economy
depends on remittances from the Armenian diaspora, and about
three-quarters of those remittances come from Russia.

Armenia, on the other hand, is the only CSTO member in the South
Caucasus and the only country where Russia has a permanent military
base. Yerevan seems to have concluded that it has more leverage with
the Kremlin than it previously realized.

The strength of Armenia’s position is being sorely tested as Moscow
is pressuring Yerevan — and other former Soviet states, especially
Ukraine and Moldova — to join its Eurasian Customs Union (ECU). So
far, only Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan are members of the bloc,
which Moscow hopes to expand and transform into an even more ambitious
Eurasian Union.

‘Incompatibility’

The European Union has made it clear that membership in the Eurasian
Customs Union is incompatible with a Deep and Comprehensive Free
Trade Agreement and with an EU Association Agreement.

In a speech on May 28 in Brussels, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan
Fuele noted that he had traveled to Moscow in March and “we explained
the reason for that incompatibility is that we cannot make legally
binding agreements with partners that are not in charge of their
external trade policies.”

Ukraine was able to hold out against Moscow’s demands that it join
the ECU and instead has agreed to “observer status” in the project.

Yerevan, despite tremendous pressure from Moscow — including hikes in
the rates Armenia pays for Russian natural gas — has so far avoided
joining the ECU as it pushes its bid for EU accords.

In 2010, then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev flew to Yerevan to
sign an agreement extending Russia’s use of the Gumri military base
until 2045. At that time, analysts were convinced Yerevan had all but
ceded its sovereignty. Political analyst Aharon Adibekian sarcastically
wrote: “When cornered by an enemy, do not resist. Don’t tense up. Just
enjoy for maximum pleasure.”

But such concerns may have been overblown. Yerevan by then was already
evolving its multivector foreign-policy approach, including not only
deeper relations with the EU but also a commitment to improving ties
with regional neighbor Turkey.

Analyst Giragosian thinks it is likely Yerevan will be able to continue
resisting Russian pressure on the ECU and will see its efforts crowned
at the Vilnius summit.

“When Armenia does challenge Russia’s preference, the end result is
usually more respect, given the Russian reliance on Armenia. In other
words, Armenia’s strategic significance to Russia is much larger than
Russia cares to admit,” Giragosian says.

BROTHER OF ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ KILLED IN MOSCOW – SOURCE

Russia Beyond The Headlines, Russia
June 12 2013

A close relative of the Armenian ambassador to Iraq was killed in
central Moscow, a source in the law enforcement agencies told Interfax
on Tuesday.

“According to tentative information, the man has been identified as
the brother of the Armenian ambassador to Iraq,” the source said.

Interfax currently does no have official comments on this information.

Sergei Stukalov, an official with the Investigations Committee’s
Department for Moscow, has neither confirmed nor denied this
information, saying only that the investigators are inclined to
believe the killing is connected to the man’s business activities.

The press service for the Interior Ministry’s Main Department for
Moscow earlier told Interfax the body of a man with stab wounds had
been found in Moscow’s Novinsky Boulevard on Tuesday evening.

The Investigations Committee press service said a masked man had
attacked a 50-year-old man at the entrance to Lotte Plaza Hotel in
Moscow’s Novinsky Boulevard, inflicting numerous stab wounds on him
and leaving the crime scene in a car.

A criminal case has been opened based on Article 105 of the Russian
Criminal Code (murder).

“DID MY SON HANG HIMSELF OR WAS HE KILLED?”

05:51 PM | TODAY | SOCIAL

Serviceman Hayk Movsisyan was killed in Shushi jail and the
responsibility for the murder lies with Military Prosecutor Gevorg
Kostanyan, Chairman of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly – Vanadzor, Artur
Sakunts, at the Media Centre on June 12.

He says the accused died in prison, but no one cares to know the
reasons behind his death.

On November 20, 2012, the Court of General Jurisdiction of Syunik
province found Movsisyan guilty for evading military service and
sentenced him to 3 years’ imprisonment. He was found dead in a prison
cell eight days later.

“On November 21, when we met in prison, he asked me to take him away
from the prison. We were not even allowed to talk. Several days later
I was told that my son had hanged himself in the cell. I want to know
whether my son hanged himself or was murdered,” says Heghine Petrosyan,
the mother of the diseased serviceman.

On April 13 of 2013, Hayk Movsisyan was posthumously recognized
innocent by the Court of Appeals, based on the petition submitted by
Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan.

JOURNALIST KIERAN COOKE: “ARMENIA MAY NOT BE A MAJOR CO2 PRODUCER, BUT IT WILL FACE CLIMATE-CHANGE CHALLENGES NONETHELESS”
Kristine Aghalaryan

11:06, June 12, 2013

Kieran Cooke, who hails from Ireland, has been a journalist for over
25 years, specializing in environmental and climate-change issues. He
teaches courses on environmental journalism at the Deutsche Welle
Academy, a training center for journalists created in 2004. (Deutsche
Welle is Germany’s international broadcaster). He has worked for the
BBC and the Financial Times.

Kieran is now in Armenia, teaching courses on climate-change issues
related to the Caucasus for reporters based in Armenia, Georgia,
Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Artsakh. This is his second visit to
Armenia.

What kind of environmental issues do you see when come to Armenia as
a foreign visitor, or even a journalist?

Something I see immediately as a visitor, not really as a journalist,
is the problem of rubbish. That’s to say, the peoples’ attitude of
throwing things on the street or in the parks, whether it is plastic
garbage or cigarettes.

You can see that it’s an immediate problem. It might seem small,
but it’s very noticeable. And I think that Armenia, for instance,
will have to think about this if it wants to increase tourism. If
it does, it will have to change peoples’ attitude about throwing
rubbish willy-nilly. Yes, Armenia is a very beautiful country and
tourists want to visit, but they don’t want to come and look at a
pile of rubbish in a church lobby. So, that is one thing.

Is this more noticeable in Yerevan or in the provinces as well?

I have seen it in Yerevan, and I also have seen it in around Lake
Sevan and in other places. Suddenly there is a pile of rubbish there.

For someone coming from Germany, they don’t like that. They don’t
like seeing rubbish strewn about.

I think, generally, what Armenia shares with many countries is that
it wants the economy to grow and it wants to have jobs. The trouble
is, if people come and destroy the landscape, as with a mine, then
you are destroying something. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. A
lot of mining companies say: Õ~[Õ~[Oh, we can come back and plants
trees and everything will be better than before.” It’s never the
case. So, you have this choice. You can provide jobs, because the
mining companies will say: “Oh, we provide 200 jobs.” And you can
understand this because people are hungry. They want jobs and need
the money. But can’t you think about mushrooms, forestry, and making,
packaging and selling good vegetables to other countries; developing
these sorts of industries rather than destructive industries like
mining. Of course, Armenia has a lot of mining resources, which is
good perhaps, but it has to be controlled.

And then, in the longer term, I am here to talk about climate change.

And perhaps for a lot of people here, this is something they think,
as opposed to people in the West who are always talking about it,
doesn’t concern them. But the experts are saying that in Armenia the
temperatures are going to go up and there is going to be less rain. I
know there’s recently been a lot of rain in many parts of Europe, but
the long-term outlook is less rain and higher temperatures. This means
that people will have to change the way they live, the way they farm.

Maybe they will have to grow different crops in future. Farmers are
very traditional, they don’t want to change, but if they don’t change,
who is going to grow the food?

What do they need to change?

They need to change the way they use water. They have to be far more
careful about using water, for drinking and for irrigating crops. So,
they have to run new ways of storing water, or putting channels
underground, so that the sun doesn’t seize the water. So you store
water in water storage units. I see leaking pipes in many places and
not enough is done to make sure water isn’t being wasted.

Water is very important. Perhaps they should be thinking about crop
varieties, about growing more resistant types that can grow in a hotter
climate. People have to think about all this. But the government also
has to tell people these things as well and be honest with them. Yes,
now you have rain and clouds, but just think ten years done the
road. What will happen then? Think of your children. It is going to
change. Everybody says nothing is normal anymore, but the old ways are
going to change. And of course, for a country like Armenia that isn’t
rich, it is very tough. Armenia is not to blame for climate change. It
is country like my own, Ireland. The USA and China are to blame, but
if Armenia doesn’t make changes, then future doesn’t look very bright.

Many of the climate figures actually show that there will be big
changes in Yerevan, for instance, or in the Ararat valley. The
temperatures will increase quite a bit. What will people do when that
happens? Buy more air conditions? They will have to spend money on
air conditioning and have use more water to grow their crops. People
have to realize this is coming. This is going to happen.

How does one explain to people that they should refrain from certain
actions in order not to produce more CO2?

It is very difficult. I think educating young children is one way.

They can be taught, in creative ways, that some things, like burning
trash fires, increases dangerous gases in the air. They can be taught
the merits of conserving water. Sometimes children are much better,
because they have an imagination, they understand these sorts of
things.

CO2 is not produced in Armenia as much as in other countries.

Unfortunately, while Armenia doesn’t produce much CO2, the trouble
with CO2 is that it doesn’t care about borders. It comes from
everywhere. So, while CO2 may come from America, it may also come
from the Arctic or China. It is global, and this is the problem –
how do you reach a global agreement? It is a global issue and not
just the obligation of one government. So, Armenia can say, we don’t
produce much CO2, and thus they might ask richer countries to donate
funds so that Armenia develops its economy in a way that doesn’t harm
the environment. Armenia can argue, hey look, you are the people who
are causing the problem, not us in Yerevan. It is London, New York,
Beijing or Mumbai.

Do you see the Armenian government taking care of the environment? Is
such a thing noticeable to foreigners?

Like so many countries the economy comes first for the government.

This is clear. And I can understand it because the people who vote
for them want jobs. They want the economy to be good so they can have
more money to spend on children’s education, to get a better house,
or to buy a car.

But the risk is in thinking that you can make the economy rich
and never care about the environment; that we’ll think about the
environment later. That’s not good, because in ten years time the
environment you end up with might well be completely different and
unfamiliar. Sometimes I think that governments and officials don’t
have much imagination. They think of economic development – mining,
manufacturing, whatever. What about agricultural products?

What about honey, mushrooms and things that Armenia is famous for,
like its vegetables? These can be the basis of a thriving industry
as well. So instead building a cement plant, you build a factory
specializing in herbs and you package and sell them in London and
New York.

The environment should receive more priority. The government should be
spending more money for the environment and should look very carefully
at mining projects, because mining is one thing that destroys the land
and cuts down trees. Just look at Alaverdi where the air is foul. It
must be very controlled. You mustn’t allow people to come in and give
promises saying: “Here is some money, I will create 2000 jobs.” You
must also say, OK, we will draft a legal agreement that you must do
this and that. In the West, such contracts with mining companies are
very strict because nobody believes many of their promises anymore.

So I think they have to be far stronger policing of the mining
industry.

The protection of forests makes so much sense in many ways. If you
cut down trees you change the climate and open the door to various
ailments. And of course by doing so, you do not capture CO2 anymore.

Trees are also very good for maintain water systems.

Armenia is a beautiful country with a great potential for the tourist
industry. But, as I pointed out, tourists don’t want to come and stay
in hotel and smell smoke from the mining smelter. Tourists coming
from Georgia, pass through Alaverdi. It is not a good advertisement
for the country. Take care of the environment and Armenia has a lot
going for it – a lovely country with good people, clever people.

TURKISH PM’S POSITIONS BEGAN TO WEAKEN – ARMENIAN ANALYST

June 12, 2013 | 12:25

YEREVAN. – The domestic political developments in Turkey will impact
its position in the region, including its relations with Armenia.

Caucasus Institute Director, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan
stated the aforesaid during a press conference on Wednesday.

“[Turkish PM Recep Tayyip] Erdogan’s positions have weakened. The
politicians’ rough and tough demeanor bespeaks their weakness. Strong
politicians are able to regulate the situation, not making it
reach such situation as it is now in [Istanbul’s] Taksim Square,”
Iskandaryan said.

Overall, as per the analyst, the Turkish people are tired of the
current authorities, and what is happening in Turkey is a result of
serious discontent.

“Turkey’s statements about [its] ‘Zero Problems with Neighbors’
policy have become a ‘zero neighbors without problems’ policy. The
Turkish authorities have lost connection with reality,” Alexander
Iskandaryan maintained.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ROBBERY BY LISKA IS BASIS FOR GOVERNMENT

Interview with ethnographer Hranush Kharatyan

Ms. Kharatyan, you are back from Syunik where the governor resigned
after the notorious incident. Is it possible to end impunity in Syunik?

I think the odious character of Suren Khachatryan as a governor
and a personality was not a surprise and is not limited to this
case. The media need not describe him again, he is well-known to
everyone, also with the help of the media. I often heard his name
in Syunik back in 1994. He was not a character here but he was
already a character there, we heard about his robbery, he stopped
a man driving four cows and took three. In those years we had great
expectations from the authorities, we believed that the authorities
were a key level of state building. But I should say that several
other such names obscured the progress of state building. I remember
in Verishen village near Goris they talked about Suren Khachatryan’s
suspicious deals and the government’s permissiveness relating to the
local cheese company. It was unbelievable that first, the local and
central authorities overlooked robbery, demoralizing the society,
and second, control of robbery was elaborated and regulated. Such
practice gradually became typical behavior of the government.

In those years, however, confidence in the government was so high
that we, and me personally, thought that was gossip and I did not
publish that information. It was unbelievable that there could be
marauders beside those ready for self-sacrifice in the battlefield.

It would be ingenuous to think that the recent developments will
put a full stop to the behavior of this family. In those years the
society was ruled by morality and purity, confidence in the government,
today the principle of beatifying and legalizing robbery of subsoil,
other resources, citizens using monopolized spheres of economy,
extremely high rates of interests in banks, decisions disguised as
eminent domain, unjustified inflation. No competition, only mutual
robbery of the so-called entrepreneurs. We have reached the point
when even Hovik Abrahamyan says if loans are issued for too short
terms and with too high interest rates, they hinder economic growth,
of course, modestly bypassing the well-known fact of legalized robbery
by banks which is accompanied with impoverishment of people. Meanwhile,
this issue was brought up in 1995-1996. This environment encourages
behavior a la Suren Khachatryan.

I have just returned from Syunik where I met with citizens of Kapan
and Goris, two of them would not dare speak openly in each other’s
presence. They express their opinion only in private talks. They are
afraid that they will be overheard, and the staff of the governor’s
office does not enjoy any confidence, like all the other governor’s
offices. In addition, nobody extends hopes to any of the candidates
for governor. The official called governor is not perceived to be
independent and able to exercise the powers vested in him or her.

People believe that the governor is a regional coordinator of ambitions
of “businessmen” who are proteges of the government.

Elective officials of local self-government are so much dependent on
the government, let alone the appointive governors. At least, the
people of Syunik region think so who have no hope for fundamental
change, and their only expectation from the future governor is to
pursue less private interests and discourage fragmentation in Syunik.

Now General Vardan Avetisyan’s nomination is rumored. He is agreeable,
appears to be an intellectual but I always think how long they will
try to establish law and order with the help of people with a military
or law-enforcement background. What is law and order established by
a military? Is it military obedience or does the government have a
different vision of law and order established by a soldier? Military
obedience is not advisable in civilian life. For me, appointment of
military officials to public administration positions is negative. I
am afraid that our government that has been reinforcing itself through
the so-called judicial system, courts and police now opts for military
law and order to subdue the society, without resolving the problems
facing the country.

Siranuysh Papyan 13:51 12/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

SOUS LE PARC OCCUPE D’ISTANBUL, UN CIMETIERE ARMENIEN

Istanbul, correspondance. Dans une allee du parc Gezi, qui jouxte
la place Taksim, les jeunes militants armeniens de Nor Zartonk
(“Nouvel eveil”) ont colle deux plaques de polystyrène gris qui
forment une tombe symbolique. Dessus figure l’identite du defunt :
“Cimetière armenien Sourp Hagop 1551-1939”. Et un message : “Vous
nous avez pris notre cimetière, vous n’aurez pas notre parc !” Car
la où s’est installe depuis dix jours le mouvement de protestation
contre le premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sous le parc
Gezi, reposent les morts d’une partie de la communaute armenienne
d’Istanbul. Une histoire inconnue de la plupart des manifestants,
que quelques-uns tentent de faire revivre. La où M. Erdogan affirme
vouloir “reconstruire l’histoire” bâtissant la replique d’une ancienne
caserne ottomane, qui abritera un centre commercial ou un musee de
la ville. L’histoire du cimetière Sourp Hagop remonte a Soliman le
Magnifique. Une tentative d’assassinat se preparait contre le sultan.

Les comploteurs approchèrent l’un de ses cuisiniers, un Armenien de
Van, Manouk Karaseferyan, pour qu’il empoisonne le dîner imperial.

Mais le cuisinier n’en fit rien et denonca le plan au sultan. En
signe de sa gratitude, Soliman lui demanda ce qu’il pouvait lui offrir.

Karaseferyan emis un souhait inattendu : un lieu pour les morts de
sa communaute, un cimetière.

PIERRES TOMBALES REUTILISEES

Le terrain donne par le sultan se trouve aujourd’hui au nord de la
place Taksim, occupe par une partie du parc Gezi, quelques hôtels
de luxe, des immeubles et un bâtiment de la Radio television turque
(TRT). De ce vaste terrain, seul l’hôpital Sourp Hagop subsiste. Le
reste, qui appartenait a la communaute, a ete spolie par la
Republique. Le cimetière a ete entièrement detruit dans les annees
1930 et ses pierres tombales ont ete reutilisees dans la construction
d’un nouveau centre urbain par l’urbaniste Henri Prost, l’auteur du
plan d’amenagement d’Istanbul choisi par Ataturk.

Un memorial au genocide armenien fut meme brièvement construit dans
le cimetière, a la place de l’hôtel Divan. Le monument subsista de
1919 a 1922, avant d’etre detruit a son tour. Dans le brouhaha de
la revolte de Taksim, l’association antiraciste DurDe, qui organise
chaque annee un rassemblement silencieux sur la place Taksim pour
le 24 avril, l’anniversaire du declenchement du genocide armenien,
voulait faire revivre ce monument.

L’inauguration etait programmee pour lundi soir. Mais l’association a
dû renoncer sous la pression de militants nationalistes, brandissant
des drapeaux turcs, et scandant des slogans hostiles, confirme Cengiz
Algan, de DurDe. Cette mouvance extremiste, que l’historien Hamit
Bozarslan qualifie de courant “national-socialiste”, est bien loin de
faire l’unanimite parmi les manifestants, mais elle se fait entendre.

“Tous les partis politiques s’entretuent, mais lorsqu’il s’agit des
Armeniens, il y a toujours un consensus”, lance une figure de la
communaute d’Istanbul.

Guillaume Perrier

Journaliste au Monde

mercredi 12 juin 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

HEATED OFFSHORE DEBATES IN ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT

June 12, 2013 | 17:11

YEREVAN. – The offshore scandal involving Armenian PM Tigran Sargsyan
was one of the key issues discussed during the Wednesday debate
in parliament.

The opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) bloc offered to set
up a commission to discuss media reports about an offshore company
registered in the name of Tigran Sargsyan.

In response to PM’s claims that the reports are spread to discredit
him, head of ANC faction Levon Zurabyan asked to explain how $350,000
could appear on the account of a “fake company.”

However, PM did not accept the offer, noting that setting up a
commission will prevent lawmakers from discussing other important
issues.

Hetq.am website has recently published an article telling about an
offshore company set up by PM Tigran Sargsyan, Archbishop Navasard
Kchoyan and others. Premier Sargsyan has already filed a petition to
the prosecutor’s office.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

SCANDALOUS BILL BY ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN: ESSENCE AND OPINIONS
by Nana Martirosyan

ARMINFO
Wednesday, June 12, 16:44

In 2008 Armenia endorsed historic UN statement against discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Brief information in
local mass media had no public response unlike the latest initiative
by Ombudsman of Armenia Karen Andreasyan, a bill against discrimination
that was introduced in late May 2013.

Ombudsman’s spokesperson Naira Krmirshalyan says the bill is aimed
against all forms of discrimination: social, gender, religious, nation
etc. “It contains no provision on LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals,
transgender). The bill aims to protect equality of citizens,” she
says. In addition, Karen Andreasyan personally made a statement
assuring media and public that the bill provides for protection of
the citizens who found them in an extremely vulnerable situation
due to discrimination and illegal actions of government agencies or
employers. The ombudsman said that at early stage of drafting the bill,
he met with Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and informed him
of the idea, goal and the preliminary text of the bill.

In the meanwhile, Khachik Stamboltsyan, a member of the Public Chamber
of Armenia, political figure, is sure that the bill protects the
rights of sexual minorities and is aimed against the state, because
Armenia is in a poor demographic situation and such bill may provoke
‘open perversion.’ “What if they decide to legalize same-sex marriages
or, which is even worse, allow such families adopt a child?”

the devotee former statesman says.

Head of the Helsinki Civil Assembly Vanadzor Office, human rights
defender Arthur Sakunts, in turn, believes that the bill aims
to prevent the existing forms of discrimination in the country
and meets the Constitution of Armenia. He thinks that the given
initiative cannot repeat the incidents of July 2012 when a group of
conservators dispersed the youth rally for diversity and tolerance
in the city center.

“I don’t think that such incident may repeat. However, the authorities
obviously welcome sexual discrimination and the burnt D.I.Y. Club –
known as a meeting point of LGBT – is the best evidence of that,”
he says. Sakunts welcomes the Ombudsman’s initiative, but he thinks
it necessary for the authorities to explain the essence of the bill
to the public to avoid misunderstandings.

Recently, the General Court of Center and Nork Marash Communities
convicted Arame and Hambik Khabazyans for burning the club belonging
to Armine Oganezova (Tsomak) and imposed a 3,227,563 drams fine
on them. Tsomak, in turn, left the country due to state and public
pressure. The situation with D.I.Y. Club is not the only scandalous
story connected with sexual minorities. Last August, Head of the
EU Delegation to Armenia Trajan Hristea criticized the Armenian
Government for failing to ensure demonstration of a Serbian film
on the rights of sexual minorities ‘Parada’ in Yerevan. Probably,
the Government would be happy to fulfill that ‘strong request’ of
the EU but for the conservator activists opposing LGBT.

On May 25 Areg Center of Pan-Armenian Problems initiated the third in
succession discussions on the issues connected with growing propaganda
for legalizing sexual minorities and implementing the so-called ‘family
for all’ project. After detailed and comprehensive analysis of the
given phenomenon ‘that endangers the real centuries-old moral values
and traditions of a family life’ the participants in the discussions
urged the leaders of the world Christianity and other religions to
combine efforts to prevent the upcoming ‘disaster’.

Considering the ‘homosexuality’ that gathers pace in the world,
Armenia has proved to be not the only country to face such problems.

Action of protest against legalizing same-sex marriages was
held in Brazil on June 6. Earlier, organizers of gay parades and
representatives of religious organizations clashed in Georgia and
Ukraine. Unlike us, Europe is more ‘tolerant’ to sexual minorities and
despite any protests, members of the House of Lords passed a bill on
same-sex marriages on June 5. Afterwards, President of France Francois
Hollande signed a law on same-sex marriages. Such marriages are legal
in Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark along with permission to
adopt a child by same-sex families. However, the Russian State Duma
proved less tolerant and will pass an amendment banning adoption of
a child by a same-sex couple at the end of the spring session (July 6).

Fortunately, Armenia does not study such issues yet, but negative
sentiments in public are high anyway. Even today the citizens of
Yerevan avoid walking in the city park known as the park of LGBT in
the evenings as it may be dangerous. What will happen if such laws are
adopted in the country? It is noteworthy that the so-called ‘blue’
sources told ArmInfo that no gay parades are planned in Armenia in
the current year.

Given the comments of the Armenian youth in social media over the
latest initiative by the Ombudsman, two questions arise as to whether
homosexuality is perversion or a mental disease and why do western
media so actively propagate it? As a rule, there is no any exact
answer to these questions.

One of the most common opinions is that the planet is overpopulated
and wars, revolutions, diseases are funded to unload it. The shadow
of ‘The Secret World Government’ is noticed in the propaganda of
homosexuality. The supporters of the given idea say this government
intends to create a society on the principle of “Golden Billion” that
will involve members of ‘Top Guilds’ and representatives of the most
‘merited and developed’ nations. Other nations (Africans, Asians,
Russians) are doomed to heavy production, recovery of minerals,
services infrastructure. There is another common opinion that
homosexuality is part of the life and will exist irrespective of
anything. Many social media users say that it is the personal affair
of everyone whether to condemn or tolerate it.

LAVROV: THE WEST’S ATTEMPTS TO ARM SYRIAN OPPOSITION HINDERS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Jun 12, 2013

Rio De Janeiro, (SANA)- Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov,
stressed that the West’s attempts to arm the “Syrian opposition”
its leniency towards its requests hinder the efforts seeking to hold
the upcoming international conference on Syria in Geneva.

“The Syrian opposition’s statement mentioned that the conference is
only possible in case military balance was restored on the ground,”
the Russian Ria Novosti news agency quoted Lavrov as saying in a
press conference following talks with his Brazilian counterpart
Antonio Patriota Tuesday night.

He pointed out that if this criterion was taken into consideration
“we are not going to hold this conference at all.”

“To connive with opposition figures and work on arming them to retake
some areas is an act that goes against holding the conference,”
said Lavrov.

He stressed Russia’s insistence on inviting Syria’s neighbors and
Iran to attend the international conference.

“It would be shameful to have the Arab countries represented in the
conference without Egypt, and unfortunately our partners are against
this full representation of the region’s countries in the conference,”
said the Russian Foreign Minister, noting that there is also objection
to inviting Iran.

Lavrov pointed out that his country’s proposal to send Russian troops
to replace the Austrian forces operating within the United Nations
Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan stems from its
keenness on achieving stability in the Middle East.

For his part, Patriota voiced Brazil’s full support for holding
the international conference on Syria, noting that the date of the
conference hasn’t been set yet due to the lack of clarity in the
position of the Syrian opposition, as the method of representing the
opposition hasn’t been decided yet due to the disputes and disagreement
among its ranks.

Lavrov said in an interview with CBS channel Tuesday that the Syrian
opposition is responsible for delaying the holding of the international
conference on Syria in Geneva.

Lavrov and his Argentine counterpart Hector Timerman in Buenos Aires
on Monday expressed their refusal of importing weapons to illegal
armed groups to be used against the Syrian army and people.

H. Said