Author: Babajanian Karo

IRAN SWAPS OVER 1.3GW OF ELECTRICITY WITH NEIGHBORS IN ONE DAY

Fars News Agency, Iran
June 3 2013

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran exchanged 1.32 gigawatts of electricity with its
neighboring countries on Sunday, the Energy Ministry announced.

The country exported 931 megawatts of electricity to Afghanistan,
Iraq, Pakistan, Armenia and Turkey, and imported 389 megawatts of
electricity from Armenia and Turkmenistan.

Iran’s power swaps with the neighboring countries showed a positive
balance of 542 megawatts on Sunday.

Iran exported 11.054bln kilowatts of electricity to its neighboring
countries in the last Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20).

Iran also imported 3.968 billion kilowatts of electricity last year,
showing an 8 percent rise year on year.

“The volume of Iran’s electricity exports to the neighboring states
will increase by 1bln kilowatts to surpass 12bln kilowatts,” Deputy
Energy Minister Mohammad Behzad told FNA late in May.

“Iran exchanges energy resources with Armenia, Pakistan, Turkmenistan,
Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iraq and Afghanistan at present, and the total
volume of Iran’s daily power exports to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan,
Armenia and Turkey stand at 1,427,” he added.

Behzad also said that Iran has exported over 11bln kilowatts of
electricity last year.

The Islamic Republic is currently exporting electricity to Armenia,
Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Nakhichevan, Iraq and
Afghanistan.

Earlier in May, Behzad also announced that the country’s electricity
exports have increased 40% since the beginning of the current Iranian
year, and said Tehran has signed several contracts with the neighboring
states to export electricity.

He said Iran is expected to export about 10bln kilowatts of electricity
in the current Iranian year.

Behzad also said Iran has signed several contracts with its neighboring
countries in this regard, which will help boost its electricity
exports.

ARMENIA: WAITING FOR SECOND-GENERATION REFORMS

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
June 3 2013

Author: Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan, exclusive to VK

The presidential elections in Armenia were held more than three months
ago, but the situations in the economy and the social sphere are still
a matter of great concern. Only in May huge crop losses in some areas
took place due to heavy hail, and in mid-May dairy products became
more expensive by 8-10%.

Companies that produce dairy products explain this rise by the increase
in purchase prices for milk and for imported raw materials.

The State Commission for Protection of Economic Competition began
studying the market of dairy products and requested the Ministry
of Agriculture of Armenia to provide information on the dynamics of
the purchase prices for milk. But history shows that if prices for
something rise in Armenia, despite all the assurances and discussions,
the prices will not drop.

At the end of last year, Armenia’s foreign debt stood at 1.508
trillion drams or $ 3.738 billion. In January-May, the inflation rate
rose to 3%. The main catalyst for the acceleration of inflation was
the group of food products, for which the average prices this year
raised stepwise from 101.6% in January to 104.2% in April. Similarly,
the prices of clothing and footwear also increased; the prices for
essential commodities rose significantly. According to the National
Statistical Service, consumer prices in April rose by 3.9% – compared
to the same period last year. The expected increases in tariffs for
gas and electricity will also significantly complicate the situation
of citizens in the summer.

According to the chairman of the Union of Employers Gagik Makaryan,
the country still does not create conditions for development of small
and medium-sized businesses, and many small businesses today, after
years of work, can only be closed, because of the reduction in the
number of consumers, the cause of which, in turn, was the decrease
in the level of life and the increase in the number of poor.

Today, many experts see a way out of the situation in the reform
of the second generation. The need for reform was pointed out by
the representatives of the International Monetary Fund. After the
election of the Council of Elders of Yerevan head of the Armenian
IMF mission Mark Horton and IMF Resident Representative in Armenia
Guillermo Tolosa in a joint statement called on the authorities to
implement decisive and radical reform. According to representatives of
the IMF, there is the need for further measures to stimulate private
investment, create a level playing field for all market investors,
improving tax collection, etc.

The first phase of reforms in Armenia began in the early 90s and has
been held back by the Government Grant Bagratyan. The reforms demanded
their logical continuation, but the transformation process stalled in
1999. According to the professor, vice-rector of the Russian-Armenian
University Edward Sandoyan, today Armenia is in a situation where its
economy is very difficult to be called a “free market”: the Armenian
economy has characteristics which formally belong to a market economy,
but on the content they are far from that, “We have high levels of
corruption and low competitiveness of the economy as compared to our
peers. The country is inefficiently promoting the export-oriented
economy, and this is the only direction for our future development”,
the scientist and economist says, who believes that the country has
institutions that protect property rights at a rudimentary level, and
there is still no effective legislation, administration or judiciary.

What kind of philosophy leads the Armenian government today? The most
striking indication of its ideology is the statements made by various
members of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) that only
in the ranks of political power there are the most professional and
competent staff. In this regard, the statement by one of the leading
ideologues of the Republican Party, vice-chairman of the party Galust
Sahakyan that the Republican Party is going to be in power as long
as there is a danger of war, is even more surprising for its candor.

Judging by the current trends of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, the period when the Republican Party will be in power
will last a long time. And when we consider the role and place of
Sahakyan in the hierarchy of the ruling party, it is possible to
make an unambiguous conclusion about a serious intention for the
continuation of essentially a one-party rule and holding further
monopoly of power by the Republican Party.

In the economic sphere, the monopoly of power of the RPA is expressed
in the rule of clan-oligarchic system that ensures the development of
large monopolies at the expense of small and medium-sized businesses.

However, these political and economic realities leave an imprint on
the appropriate social services. The situation is characterized by the
further impoverishment of the people, the further loss of economic
independence by the vast majority of them, which in turn greatly
facilitates the manipulation of these segments of the population
by the authorities, whose main task is to maintain at all costs
the monopoly on power and to ensure its reproduction. The existing
system is a reality. While this scheme works, all statements about
the need for a second phase of reforms will remain empty promises,
even regardless of who makes these statements.

SYUNIK GOVERNOR’S FATE NOT WITHIN LAW – HERITAGE PARTY REP

18:22 ~U 03.06.13

Heritage party Vice-Chairman Armen Martirosyan cannot predict the fate
of Syunik Governor Surik Khachatryan after the incident in front of
his house in Goris, Syunik region.

But his fate is not going to be decided “within law.”

“Otherwise, he would have resigned long ago. But, since it is not law,
but the incumbent president’s and his inner circle’s decisions that
are in effect, we have to wait for their decision,” Martirosyan told
Tert.am. It is going to be a purely political decision, he added.

According to Martirosyan, the incident once more proved that Armenia’s
government system is monopolized at the highest level.

“Such incidents show that the government system cannot continue like
this,” he said.

The Armenian authorities’ task is to ensure their own reproduction
rather than to rule.

The authorities have never punished criminals. Available videos show
how Syunik Government Surik Khachatryan treated the businesswoman
Silva Hambartsutyan. However he was not punished.

“This situation will not change as long as this government system
exists,” Martirosyan said.

Speaking of the killed businessman Avetik Budaghyan, Martirosyan said
that the current government system forces businessmen to emigrate
from Armenia.

“The authorities foster emigration and benefit from it because it
will be much easier for them to reproduce. At that time their task
will be to make Armenia a country of mineral raw materials and resolve
the problem of labor force for mines,” he said.

HERITAGE PARTY SEC RESPONDS TO DEMAND FOR SYUNIK GOVERNOR’S DISMISSAL

16:55 ~U 03.06.13

Styopa Safaryan, Political Secretary of the Heritage party, addressed
the incident in the Syunik region in Armenia and the demand for
dismissal of Syunik Governor Surik Khachatryan addressed to Armenia’s
President Serzh Sargsyan.

“I was surprised at the public demand that Surik Khachatryan must
at least be released from his post. My dear fellow countrymen, when
did releasing from post become equivalent to murdering a man? Is this
‘movement’ is a movement for mitigating punishment?” Safaryan writes
on his Facebook page.

Armenian News – Tert.am

NGO WARNS THOSE THREATENING JIRAYR SEFILYAN – “YOU’RE PLAYING WITH FIRE”

15:09, June 3, 2013

The “Union of Freedom Fighters of the Shushi Special Battalion” NGO,
has issued a statement claiming that certain “anti- national and
treacherous forces” have threatened the life of Jirayr Sefilyan and
have begun to persecute his political supporters.

Sefilyan serves as president of the NGO and is also a member of
the Sardarapat Movement and the Pre-Parliament (Nakhakhorhrdaran)
organization in Armenia.

The NGO warns, “That those threatening the dedicated sons of Armenia
are playing with fire.”

“Just like in the time of battle, we have defended and will defend
our homeland and our commander,” the statement reads.

FREEDOM FIGHTER TO GO ON SIT-DOWN STRIKE

15:47 03/06/2013 ” SOCIETY

Freedom fighter Volodya Avetisyan issued a statement saying that he
intends to go on sit-down strike.

“I, freedom fighter and reserve colonel Volodya Avetisyan, intend to
go on twenty-four-hour sit-down strike at Yerevan’s Liberty Square
from 10:00 June 4 to 19:00 June 7 in support of a worthy life for
freedom fighters and servicemen,” the statement said.

Earlier this month, freedom fighters staged a sit-down strike at
Liberty Square demanding a solution to their social problems.

SASUN MIKAELIAN AND LISKA: ABSURD

2013-06-03 12:21:32

In June 2009, Sasun Mikaelian was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment in
the case of events of March 1.

Sasun Mikaelian was convicted of violating the first part of Article
225 of the RA Criminal Code (organization of mass disorders) and the
second part of Article 235 (unlawful possession or carrying of weapons
and ammunition to a group of people with prior agreement).

On May 27, 2011 Sasun Mikaelian was released.

Yesterday, on June 2, Police found in Syunik a group of persons of
firearms and ammunition. Weapons were mainly found in homes and
facilities of Syunik Governor and his relatives.

Drawing parallels between these two incidents, we expect and demand
law enforcement fair decision in connection with the punishment of
Suren Khachatryan and wait for the decision of Serzh Sargsyan, namely
the resignation of the Governor of Syunik.

Recall yesterday at 00:10 next to the house of Syunik Governor shots
were fired. One person was killed and two were wounded. Deceased-
former candidate of Mayor of Goris Avo Budaghyan, one of the injured,
his brother Artak Budaghyan-commander of the X military unit in NKR,
another injured- Nicholas Abrahamyan- realtive and bodyguard of the
Governor of Syunik region Suren Khachatryan. Photojournalist reports
that shots were fired from “Beretta” hunting rifle. A criminal case on
the first ground of 104th article of the RA Criminal Code (murder) and
the 235th article (illegal possession, possession and use of weapons).

Below present you the video in which Sasun Mikaelian, in 2009, after
hearing the verdict and ignoring the court begins to sing (seen from
the third minute).

SOUTH CAUCASUS COUNTRIES LOSING INTERNATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE – THE AMERICAN INTEREST

17:20 ~U 04.06.13

Weakened by ethnic conflict and poor governance, the South Caucasus
countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) are losing international
significance. Moreover, the West is preoccupied elsewhere with
economic challenges and crises in the Middle and Far East. To sustain
the Western support the three countries expect and need, they must
implement reforms and lessen regional tensions.

Two decades ago, war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian majority area in Azerbaijan,
displaced hundreds of thousands of people and led to the occupation of
seven districts of Azerbaijan surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Occasional
shootings test an uneasy ceasefire agreed in 1994. With international
mediation stalled, energy-rich Azerbaijan is stocking up on foreign
arms but may overestimate its military power. Armenia has a Russian
security accord and military base but is relatively isolated and may
also be overconfident. The Russian military occupation of Abkhazia,
South Ossetia and some contiguous areas in Georgia since the 2008
war has left a fragile peace. Regional security also suffers from
kleptocracy and unrest in Azerbaijan, and fractious governance in
Armenia and Georgia.

There are positives. The South Caucasus is a major export route to
world markets for oil and gas from the Caspian Sea basin. The region
facilitates surface transport linking Europe, the Mediterranean,
Central Asia and China. Azerbaijan is a big energy producer and
exporter, and Caspian energy is a key source for reducing Europe’s
energy dependence on Russia.

Some trends, however, are reducing the importance of the South
Caucasus. Over time, Azerbaijan’s global market share will ebb as
new and transformational technologies expand output elsewhere in
the world. Moreover, although logistical support for NATO forces in
Afghanistan along this ancient Silk Road is important, this concern
will diminish as troops are withdrawn.

In February, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan won reelection,
but protests erupted, politics are precarious, and corruption is
pervasive. Blockaded by Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenia has extensive
relations with Iran. Its educated people earn below their potential.

Average income, using World Bank data on purchasing power parity,
is only $6,100.

Azerbaijan’s autocratic President Ilham Aliyev faces growing
discontent. On March 10, authorities used water cannons and police
charges to put down an unauthorized demonstration. Aliyev tries to
abate unrest by showering money on elites while suppressing dissent
and firing token officials. Oil and gas income buoys average income
to $8,960, but oil exports are declining as production peaks.

Stage-managed elections later this year are likely to rubber-stamp
another Aliyev victory.

Georgia’s Rose revolution in 2003 ushered in younger, pro-Western
leaders who advanced many reforms, but President Mikheil Saakashvili
inclined toward authoritarianism as his power grew. In historic free
and fair parliamentary elections last October an opposition coalition
won. Political tensions remain high, however, as deep distrust and
competing governance styles play out between Prime Minister Bidzina
Ivanishvili and Saakashvili, who will remain in office until October.

Georgia’s progress toward democracy is unique in the South Caucasus but
is now being questioned by an apparent exercise in selective justice
against the outgoing President and his team. Recent mob violence
against gay and lesbian demonstrators led by Georgian Orthodox priests
challenges the new government to demonstrate its commitment to human
rights and civil liberties.

While facing westward for security and economic integration,
Ivanishvili is easing tensions with Russia, which is reopening its
market to Georgian wine, mineral water and agriculture products. This
will be a slow process, however, as long as Russia recognizes Abkhazia
and South Ossetia as “independent.” Georgia’s inadequate economic
reforms have weakened the country. Per capita income remains depressed
at $5,350, and unemployment is a daunting 30 percent.

Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to corral former Soviet
neighbors into a customs union, but Armenia and Georgia want deeper
ties with the far richer European Union. Azerbaijan also prefers links
with Europeans, major energy customers, even as they criticize Baku’s
human rights abuses.

Most important is what South Caucasus countries do to help themselves.

Renewed fighting around Nagorno-Karabakh, even if accidental, could
bring human tragedy. Tensions may not ease until illiberal rulers
stop exploiting nationalism to hold on to power, although democratic
leaders might also play this card. International mediation will likely
continue but should not be a Western priority unless the sides are
ready to make concessions.

Democratic and economic reforms, especially in Armenia and Azerbaijan,
are crucial and long overdue. Throughout the region, poverty and
corruption are self-reinforcing, even in Azerbaijan, which is oil
rich but has a skewed income distribution.

US economic assistance to the South Caucasus is leveling off, and the
European Union is focused on internal financial issues. Unless the
South Caucasus countries do more to address their problems, Western
support and interest will ebb despite the risks. Russia’s invasion of
Georgia in 2008 showed the need for active, consistent Western help to
resist coercion. As the energy importance of Azerbaijan diminishes,
democratic gains will be vital to sustain Western attention. The
Armenian diaspora in the West helps, but the country needs broader
international support to overcome isolation. This means improving
conditions at home.

Even though progress in the South Caucasus is slow, the West must
continue efforts to promote peace and stability in the region. The
European Union ought to conclude free trade accords with Armenia
and Georgia, and with Azerbaijan once it joins the World Trade
Organization. America should do likewise. Western encouragement of
civil society is vital.

To avoid being marginalized, the South Caucasus countries must
demonstrate positive change and avoid new conflicts, or they will
twist in uncertain winds.

Armenian News – Tert.am

TO ARA GULER IT’S ADVANTAGE TO BE AN ARMENIAN

16:21, 4 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 4, ARMENPRESS. Over 100 photos by prominent Armenian
photographer from Constantinople Ara Guler are introduced in a single
exhibition, which launched in Yerevan on June 4. The exhibition held
under the slogan “Hello”. The exhibition followed the press conference,
during which Ara Guler expressed his gratitude to the organizers of the
exhibition. As reports “Armenpress” the famous photographer stated:
“I have brought 130 photos to show to you, but only 100 of them are
displayed in the exhibition, as there was no place for the rest of
them in the exhibition hall.”

Among other things Ara Guler underscored that presently many
people confuse the profession of photographer, with that of the
photojournalist, notwithstanding they are not the same and imply
different activities. “Photography is not an art, it’s the reality
as it is,” Ara Guler noted.

In addition Ara Guler underscored that being Armenian never indered
him, on the contrary – it was an advantage for him. Also the renowned
photographer highlighted: “I have always been engaged in the pursuit
of happiness, but I have never found it. Probably, happiness is what
I see via my photo camera lens.”

A documentary movie dedicated to Ara Guler will be displayed in the
National Gallery of Armenia today in the evening.

Ara Guler was born August 16, 1928 in Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey.

He is an Armenian photojournalist from Constantinople, nicknamed “the
Eye of Istanbul” or “the Photographer of Istanbul”. He is considered
one of Turkey’s few internationally known photographers.

He studied at the local Getronagan Armenian High School. Owner of a
pharmacy on Istiklal Avenue, his father had a wide circle of friends
from the art world of the period. Ara Guler’s early contact with this
world inspired him to embark on a career in cinema. During his high
school years, he jobbed in movie studios and attended drama courses
held by Muhsin Ertugrul, the founder of modern Turkish theater.

However, he abandoned cinema in favor of journalism, joining the
staff of the newspaper Yeni Istanbul as photojournalist in 1950 and
studying Economics at the University of Istanbul at the same time. He
then transferred to another newspaper, Hurriyet. After completing his
military service in 1961, Guler was employed by the Turkish magazine
Hayat as head of the photographic department.

About this time, he met Henri Cartier-Bresson and Marc Riboud, who
recruited him for the Magnum Photos agency, which he joined. (He is not
currently a member.) He was presented in the British 1961 Photography
Yearbook. Also in that year, he was accepted as the only member to
the American Society of Magazine Photographers (ASMP) (today called
the American Society for Media Photographers) from Turkey. The Swiss
magazine Camera honored him with a special issue.

In the 1960s, Guler’s photographs were used to illustrate books by
notable authors and were displayed at various exhibitions throughout
the world. His works were exhibited in 1968 in 10 Masters of Color
Photography at the New York Museum of Modern Art and at Photokina
Fair in Cologne, Germany. His photo album Turkei was published in
Germany in 1970. His photos on art and art history were used in Time,
Life, Horizon and Newsweek magazines and publications of Skira of
Switzerland.

Guler traveled on assignment to such countries as Iran, Kazakhstan,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Kenya, New Guinea, Borneo, as well as
all parts of Turkey. In the 1970s he held photographic interviews with
such notable politicians and artists as Winston Churchill, Indira
Gandhi, Maria Callas, John Berger, Bertrand Russell, Willy Brandt,
Alfred Hitchcock, Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Marc Chagall,
Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso.

ARMENIAN GMS SUCCESSFUL AT MUMBAI OPEN

June 4, 2013 – 16:06 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian grandmasters Davit Petrosian, Levon
Babujian, Zaven Andriasian have scored 6 points each after 8 rounds
at the open, ongoing in Mumbai, India.

They are half a point behind the leaders – GMs Mikheil Mchedliashvili
and Levan Pantsulaia (Georgia).

Three rounds are ahead till the end of the tournament.