Author: Babajanian Karo

ARMENIAN TURKOPLOGIST DOES NOT RULE OUT RESTORATION OF RAILWAY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY

ARMINFO
Wednesday, April 3, 17:50

The problem of the Armenian genocide and in this context the necessity
of neutralizing possible threats are not priority for Ankara,
Turkologist, Artak Shakaryan, said at today’s press-conference.

He said that today Ankara has more important problems, in particular,
the forthcoming presidential election, parliamentary election,
normalizing of the Turkish-Israeli relations and the Kurdish
issue. At the same time, as he said, official Ankara is concerned
about activeness of the Armenian party in the process of international
recognition of the Armenian genocide on the threshold of its 100th
anniversary.

“Today the key purpose of the Turkish party is to break stereotype
according to which in 1915 Armenians were the victims and present
that many victims were among the Turks as well. In this context,
at the end of March Turkey broadcast a film dedicated to the events
of 1915 in which those events were interpreted from the position of
the Turkish party”, – Shakaryan said.

He also added that it is very much important for Turkey to pass the
year of 2015, as they think that after this date everything will
develop in another way. Moreover, it is very much important for them
to break psychological pressure, he said.

Touching on cancel of the Van-Yerevan-Van air flight, Shakaryan said
that this flight would be another Turkish show, called to create an
impression on normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey.

“As for the cancel of Yerevan-Istanbul flight because of Armavia
bankruptcy, here the events have been developing not in a favorable
to us course. In this context, we would not like to depend on the
Turkish air company which said it will go on implementing the flights
on Sundays”, – he said.

Shakaryan did not rule out the possibility of restoration of the
railway communication between Armenia and Turkey, which Russia and the
USA are interested in. “The opening of the Kars-Gyumri-Akhalkalaki
railway will become a positive movement in the relations of the two
countries, though Azerbaijan will hardly agree to its opening, as it
has been trying to isolate Armenia by all possible means. Anyway,
I think that President Barack Obama will try to make steps for
rapprochement of Armenia and Turkey before 2015 so that to avoid
recognition of the genocide. I mean either temporary opening of the
border or opening of the railway”, – he concluded.

SCIENTIST FINDS EU’S DEMAND TO CLOSE ARMENIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT GROUNDLESS

YEREVAN, April 4. /ARKA/. Rafael Harutyunyan, one of the world most
prominent nuclear safety experts and the deputy CEO of Russia’s
Institute of Safe Nuclear Energy, finds the European Union’s demand
to close the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant groundless.

He told RIA Novosti that the VVER 440 (Armenian Nuclear Power Plant
operates a similar reactor) is unique exactly for its safety.

“Finland’s Loviisa nuclear power plant, one of the best nuclear power
plants in the world, operates VVER 440,” he said on the sidelines of
Atomexpo forum in Belarus.

Harutyunyan said that the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant is the only
plant in the county to ensure stable energy supply.

There are no faults here, he said, and there is no need to close it.

The scientist said that after the closure of Ignalina Nuclear Power
Plant in Lithuania the country began facing a severe energy shortage.

Armenia has a similar sad experience – it faced the same difficulties
when its nuclear power plant ceased operating after the earthquake
in 1988.

“After the nuclear power plant halted the country plunged in dark
ages for six years,” he said.

There was neither light nor heating then, he said, and many people
were stricken hard by this.

Armenia’s nuclear power plant in Metsamor located some 30 kilometers
west of Yerevan, was built in the 1970s but was closed following a
devastating earthquake in 1988 that killed some 25,000 people and
devastated much of northern Armenia. One of the plant’s two VVER
440-V230 light-water reactors was reactivated in 1995. Armenian
authorities said they will build a new nuclear power plant to replace
the aging Metsamor plant. The new plant is supposed to operate at twice
the capacity of the Soviet-constructed facility. Metsamor currently
generates some 40 percent of Armenia’s electricity. But the government
has yet to attract funding for the project that was estimated by a
U.S.-funded feasibility study to cost at as much as $5 billion. In 2012
October the Armenian government decided to extend the service life of
the Armenian nuclear power plant in Metsamor by another ten years. -0-

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN GREETED ANC (HAK) REPRESENTATIVES

A1Plus.am
07:36 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

Meanwhile National Assembly MP Zaruhi Postajyan was delivering a
speech in Vanadzor Raffi Hovannisyani was greeting to all the gathered
people.

Later during his speech Raffi Hovhanniyan repeated one more time that
April 9 is the day that will be crucial for the Armenian Nation.

He also added that all those who have committed are still committing
violations will have to take the responsibility of all their actions.

After the meeting, he walked around the city on foot and did not pass
with indifference next to the office of the Armenian National Congress
(HAK). Here he met HAK Head Office representatives Levon Zurabyan and
Aram Manukyan.

Watch the details on the video.

WE’LL REAFFIRM OUR VICTORY ON APRIL 9, SAYS FORMER CANDIDATE IN ASHTARAK

TERT.AM
20:08 ~U 04.04.13

Former presidential candidate Raffi Hovhannisian has promised the
residents of Ashtarak (Aragatsotn region) to make April 9 a special day
for reaffirming his success in the February 18 presidential election.

“I believed in you; you brought the victory which we are going to
fix on April 9,” the opposition Heritage said, addressing the crowd
of his supporters in the city.

“I am not aspiring for power; I need neither a seat nor a position,”
said the former candidate, adding that all he wants is to see love
and unanimity among the people, proper education opportunities for
the younger generation and repatriation of Armenians to their homeland.

He warned against any attempts of comparing the situation in Armenia
with chess or other sporting games, saying that his team is now busy
elaborating new tactics.

“We are finishing our four-day regional mission and pilgrimage here
in the sun, recruiting the love motherland army for Armenia. This is
not a game, either chess or football; this is our life and Armenia’s
future,” the politician added.

Hovhannisian, who polled 37% in the February 18 presidential election,
began his tours to Armenia’s regions earlier this week after a 21
day hunger-strike disputing the voting results. Considering himself
the real winner in the poll, he was calling upon the re-elected
president to withdraw from office. The Heritage party’s leader is
planning a rally in Yerevan’s Liberty Square on April 9 to confirm
what he stills considers his victory in the elections.

Addressing the special mission of the day, the former candidate told
the crowd in Ashtarak that he expects April 9 to see the Armenian
people stand up for their rights, their own Constitution and the
triunity among Armenia, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the Diaspora.

PROSPEROUS ARMENIA WARNS AGAINST VIOLATIONS DURING YEREVAN ELECTION

April 04, 2013 | 16:25

YEREVAN.- Prosperous Armenia Party has warned that violations during
the upcoming election to the Yerevan Council will lead to serious
problems.

Nevertheless, spokesperson for the party, MP Tigran Urikhanyan said
the party does not want to focus on future violations and is preparing
for the vote.

Talking to reporters on Thursday, he assured that his party has not
lost its electorate by not participating in the presidential election.

“We had our voters and now we have electorate as well. At the same
time we do respect other political parties,” he said.

Election to the Yerevan Council is slated for May 5. The party’s list
is led by party MP, former FM Vartan Oskanian. He is followed by PAP
MP Gurgen Arsenyan, and third in the list is Abraham Manukyan. The
PAP list consists of 194 names.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT MARKED APRIL 24 AS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL DAY

16:26, 4 April, 2013

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, ARMENPRESS. The Washington Diplomat independent
monthly newspaper issued a holiday calendar, where April 24 was marked
as the Armenian Genocide Memorial Day. The calendar was sent to the
whole embassies to Washington, including the Turkish Embassy.

“Armenpress” reports about this citing the facebook page of the
Armenian National Committee of America.

The Washington Diplomat is an independent monthly newspaper established
in 1994 as the flagship publication of the diplomatic community in
Washington, D.C. With an audited readership of more than 120,000,
The Washington Diplomat is distributed to all foreign embassies in
the nation’s capital, the United Nations in New York, the World Bank,
IMF, IDB, the State Department, Capitol Hill, White House, Pentagon,
Fortune 500 companies, federal agencies and more than 600 locations
in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland and New York.

The editorial covers “a world of news and perspective” and features
one-on-one interviews with foreign ambassadors. It also contains
articles examining international relations, politics, trade, U.S.

foreign policy, diplomacy, law, media and other current topics.

INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED AGAINST CHIEF EDITOR OF ISTANBUL’S AGOS ARMENIAN WEEKLY

April 04, 2013 | 13:08

ISTANBUL. – Istanbul’s General Prosecutor’s Office launched an
investigation against Chief Editor Rober Koptas of Istanbul’s Agos
Armenian bilingual weekly, and writer Umit Kivanc, for criticizing
the court ruling on the murder case of Hrant Dink-the founder and
chief editor Agos, who was gunned down in 2007 in front of his office
building.

In a program on Haberturk television, and immediately after the issuing
of this shameful verdict, Koptas and Kivanc commented on the ruling,
Agos informs. But following this program, Antalya city resident Aydin
Tasci petitioned to the prosecutor’s office and stated that he, as a
Turk, cannot accept Koptas’ and Kivanc’s statement that, “the killer
[of Dink] is the state.”

Istanbul Deputy Chief Prosecutor Fikret Secen processed Tasci’s
petition, decided that a respective investigation should be launched,
and demanded the video of the aforesaid program.

Agos’ attorney Hakan Bakircioglu, however, informed that the words by
Rober Koptas and Unit Kivanc do not contain any crime, and therefore
this investigation should not be of serious concern.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

V.KHACHIKYAN DID NOT ACCEPT THE ACCUSATION

Thu, 04/04/2013 – 16:26
News

In the today’s hearing of the case of large scale embezzlement in the
sphere of social security, the former head of State Social Security
Service Vazgen Khachikyan announced that he does not accept the
presented accusations. Lawyer by profession, the defendant claimed that
he did not understand the nature of the proposed official fraud charge.

The prosecutor Hovhannes Yenoqyan said that according to indictment,
large scale embezzlement with the organized group was implemented by
V.Khachikyan, with the distribution of the role and income of each
of the defendants. Group, according to the prosecutor, implemented
actions directed at common goal, accompanied by official fraud in
the pension’s payment lists.

That reasoning also didn’t satisfy V.Khachikyan. He announced that
even though he did not understand the nature of the accusation, in
future, in the scope of examination of testimonies, he will give his
assessment and will prove his innocence, even if he is not obliged
to do that, the prosecution has to prove him guilty.

Yerevan Kentron and Norq-Marash court of first instance, presided by
Judge Mkhitar Papoyan, directed the attention of the prosecution on
the announcement of the defense and offered to present the accusation
of the official fraud in a more understandable way.

Author: Factinfo

HOVANNISIAN CALLS FOR SHOW OF SUPPORT AT HOUR OF SARGSYAN INAUGURATION

VOTE 2013 | 04.04.13 | 15:58

Photo: Heritage Party Press Office

By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

Opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian, official runner-up challenging
the results of the presidential election, continuing his “national
enlistment campaign” in Armenia’s north, is urging supporters to
be at Liberty Square on April 9, at 11 a.m. – the appointed time of
President Serzh Sargsyan’s second inauguration.

“Armenia is in an incessant process; that day will bring a new
situation, new approaches. Now, you have to decide whose citizens
you are – of the Republic of Armenia or of the former president,
former governor, chief of police, and I don’t know who else,”
Hovannisian said during his Wednesday trip to Martuni, as part of
his post-election stand-off.

The Heritage party leader and his team have made trips to Abovyan,
Nor Hach’n, Sevan, Martuni, Ijevan and Berd.

In Abovyan, which in essence is under Prosperous Armenia Party’s
(PAP) control, Hovannisian stated that the moment of truth for PAP
was approaching and it had to decide which side it is on.

PAP faction MP Vahan Babayan, commenting on this statements, told
news.am local internet daily that PAP is an alternative, and that is
where they see themselves.

“What does it mean ‘the moment of truth for PAP is approaching’? That
issue by itself is not proper, because PAP is working every day for the
welfare of our country, to make it a better place, and our activities
are transparently visible in the parliament, as well,” he said.

In Berd, Hovannisian called upon Sargsyan to go and serve at the
border together.

“When they gave me an Armenian passport, I wrote a letter to the
military committee; back then Kocharyan was running the office, and
I opposed him because he was wrong. So I said that I had become a
citizen and should be sent to the frontline to fulfill my duty before
my motherland, but I was told I was out of that age. But I am telling
you now, that if necessary, Mr Sargsyan, let us go together and serve
at the border till the end of our lives, but set the people free,”
he said.

Summing up his regional trips to be completed by Friday, Hovannisian
said that with each visit he experiences all the human and national
seasons. “Today I have realized that people by their quantity and
quality have said that they are on the way of glory. I hope I can
return one percent of people’s warmth to them.”

Parallel with the “national enlistment campaign”, a group of Gyumri
residents will arrange a march from Gyumri’s Theatre Square to
Yerevan’s Liberty Square to take part in the April-9 rally.

“This is an act of protest to express our discontent with mass
ballot-rigging and the official results of the February 18, 2013,
presidential elections. Our goal is very clear: fight till justice
wins. As they say “Justice gets sick, but never dies”. Heritage
party vice-president Armen Martirosyan will accompany us throughout
the march. This is a civil initiative done within the law,” says the
press release of the initiative team.

Gyumri’s activists are urging residents of the settlements along
Gyumri-Yerevan highway to join the march.

ARMAVIA AGONY: BANKRUPT AIRLINE FACES PROTESTS FROM PLANE TICKET HOLDERS, LAID OFF STAFF

BUSINESS | 04.04.13 | 15:36

Photolure

The bankruptcy of Armenia’s national air carrier, Armavia, has left
about 400 staff without jobs, and ticket holders without a means
of travel.

In a statement last week Armavia said that for three years its owners
have had to sustain the airline using means from other businesses they
run. It said the situation could not last any longer and declared the
start of a bankruptcy procedure with the termination of all flights.

Armavia, owned by tycoon Mikhail Baghdasarov, has been struggling for
more than a year and has been in recurrent disputes with Yerevan’s
international airport, Zvartnots, and air navigators over outstanding
debts for services that often resulted in delays and cancellations
of flights causing inconveniences for passengers.

Vazgen Manukyan, the chairman of the Public Council, a
president-appointed advisory body, met with the airline’s pilots on
Wednesday to hear their complaints and concerns regarding the future
of the company and themselves.

Manukyan suggested holding a broad discussion regarding the situation,
with all parties taking part in it.

Hundreds of citizens who purchased Armavia tickets before April 1 have
not yet been able to get compensation for them. They gathered at one
of the airline’s offices in Yerevan on Monday demanding that their
tickets be replaced by those of flying airlines or money be returned.

The office, however, was closed and the people had to continue their
protest near the government building from where they got the promise
that their problems would be solved.

Later, the ticketholders also presented their complaints to the
Ombudsman’s office, which, too, said it was dealing with the matter.

Armavia told ArmeniaNow that they have sold tickets up until October
26 and at this moment the bankrupt airline’s commercial department
is devising a scheme for all ticket holders to get compensation and
for all booked tickets to be canceled.

Armavia was established a decade ago on the ruins of a state-run
company, Armenian Airlines, which went bankrupt in 2002. Under an
agreement with the government Armavia in fact enjoyed a monopolistic
position on some destinations. Still, critics often accused the
airline of abusing its de facto monopoly, which often resulted
in disproportionately high ticket prices and inadequate quality
of service.

According to management expert Harutyun Mesropyan, it was a wrong
decision from the very beginning to give such a strategic sphere to
a private company.

“The state informally has distanced itself from this situation. A
serious state does not act like that,” the expert told ArmeniaNow.

Mesropyan said this bankruptcy, perhaps, would be used to clear the
debts in the aviation sphere, as, according to him, such a sphere
cannot always be under the burden of increasing debts.

Mesropyan said it is the lack of management professionals that must
have led to this situation with Armavia.

“Our country is in a semi-blockade and an air link is vital to us. And
here we see incompetent management and lack of development strategy,”
said the expert.

Head of the National Assembly’s Finance and Budget Committee,
Republican MP Gagik Minasyan said at a press conference on Wednesday
that what happened to Armavia wasn’t something unexpected, because
a number of other international airlines have found themselves in
the same situation after being unable to overcome the consequences
of the 2009 global economic crisis.

“We should expect the new company replacing Armavia to have a greater
potential and safety cushions to be able to stay in business despite
global shocks,” said Minasyan.

While the national air carrier is trying to clear its internal mess,
the Armenia International Airports company has found its way of
resolving the issue by adding flights of other international airlines.

On Wednesday the company issued a statement announcing that it has
reached agreement with three airlines about increasing the number of
flights. It said discussions were underway with other airlines as well.