Author: Babajanian Karo

WHO HACKED INTO GHUKASYAN E-MAIL ACCOUNTS?

04:40 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

A criminal case has been instituted in connection with the recent
attack on ex-presidential candidate Andrias Ghukasyan’s e-mail,
Ghukasyan told 168.am.

The ex-candidate could not say whether the attack was politically
motivated or not. He said his e-mail was hacked during the
pre-election campaign when he was on hunger strike with the slogan
“Stop Fake Elections.”

MYTH ABOUT “AZERBAIJAN’S POWERFUL ARMY”

March 18, 2013 – 19:19 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Azerbaijanis, including the president and officials,
continuously issue statements, dubbing Azeri army the “strongest” in
the region, able to seize Nagorno Karabakh and even Armenia. Usually
the emphasis is placed on the enormous amounts of arms that Baku
purchases and produces, as well as the “professionalism” of Azeri
soldiers. However, all these statements are periodically countered
by the research of regional and international organizations, with
The Military Balance 2013 report by The International Institute for
Strategic Studies (ISS) among them.

The authors of the report assessed the combat readiness of both
Armenian and Azerbaijani armies, with experts giving higher assessment
to Armenian army.

“Armenian armed forces have a clear idea of the goals and challenges
they face. The number of the professional soldiers serving on a
contract basis keeps growing, despite the maintenance of compulsory
military service. The service and overall performance are the key
problems of the Armenian air forces. For this reason, Russia, through
the leased airbase, ensures the protection of the country’s airspace,”
the report reads.

As for the Azerbaijani armed forces, the authors wrote, “Azeri army
can’t achieve a clear advantage in the air. This may become a serious
risk factor during possible hostilities in Karabakh. The oil reserves
enabled Azerbaijan to purchase advanced S-300 systems. However, it’s
still vague how it will help Baku boost its combat capabilities,”
the report reads.

IISS report reaffirmed that all statements about “Azerbaijan’s
“powerful, unconquerable and professional army” are issued exclusively
for domestic consumers. As they say, there are no arguments against
the facts.

MILLION MAN MARCH TO GO AHEAD ON APRIL 8; WITH OR WITHOUT PERMIT
Sona Avagyan

;-with-or-without-permit.html
15:11, March 18, 2013

Director Arshak Zakaryan, who came up with the idea to stage a
“million man march” in Yerevan on April 8, told reporters today that
if the Yerevan Municipality didn’t grant a march permit the people
would take to the streets anyway.

The event, now being advertised on the social web and ny word of
mouth, is scheduled one day before the official inauguration of Serzh
Sargsyan as the duly elected next president of Armenia.

At 3pm, people will gather in Yerevan’s Republic Square and then
peacefully march to the Presidential Palace on Baghramyan Avenue.

Zakaryan said that the march will convey the message to Sargsyan that
April 8 is his last day in office and that civil disobedience is an
option if he deosn’t heed the will of the people.

Zakaryan confessed that he had voted for Sargsyan in 2008 but that he
had been deceived.

“Sargsyan has enacted none of the campaign promises he made in 2008
regarding reforms. He’s had five years to accomplish something,
anything, but we see the results,” said Zakaryan.

Zakaryan said he had discussed the march with members of the Heritage Party,

He says that Stopya Safaryan and Hovsep Khurshudyan told him to “go
ahead” with the march but that they wouldn’t assume any
rtesponsibilty.

Zakaryan says a ferw thousand people have already signed up on the
Facebook page for the march.

VASSILY IVANCHUK SPOKE ABOUT HIS DEFEAT TO ARONYAN IN CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT

15:26, 18 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, ARMENPRESS: Ukrainian Grand Master Vassily Ivanchuk
dwelled on Aronyan and his play in Candidates Tournament. Aronyan was
playing with the black pieces against Vassily Ivanchuk. As Armenpress
reports, Ivanchuk told in the briefing with Tournament’s official
web site.

“Today I just tried to play some creative game but probably for
practical reasons it was a bad strategy. 31.c4 was a nice move but
there I realized that even if he would start to give me material with
every move I would still lose on time, ” said Ivanchuk. Ukrainian
lost on the 35th move after making a mistake.

Aronyan played a draw with Magnus Carlsen with whites during Candidates
Chess Tournament 2013 in London, after defeated Boris Gelfand. Aronyan
got his second win against Ukrainian Ivanchuk and is currently sole
leader in London with 2,5 points.

The games will resume as follows : Carlsen – Grischuk, Radjabov –
Kramnik and Gelfand – Ivanchuk.

ARMENIA-CUSTOMS UNION COOPERATION MAY BE MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL : RF PRESIDENT STAFF

YEREVAN, March 18. /ARKA/. Seeking for formats of mutually beneficial
partnership between Armenia and the Customs Union will ensure
a long-term positive effect for all participants of the process,
said Russian official Vladimir Chernov in his greeting statement for
Economic Aspects of the Eurasian Integration and Armenia conference
in Yerevan.

Vladimir Chernov runs Division for Interregional and Cultural Relations
with Foreign States at Russia’s President Staff.

“International and interregional partnership come to the fore
within the new realms of the forming Eurasian Economic Space. The
integration processes within EES format are developing intensively
and we can already see some positive results. I hope the conference
will foster generating new solutions which will make it possible for
our countries to move forward consistently,” Russian Ambassador to
Armenia Vyacheslav Kovalenko read Chernov’s statement.

Integration and Development organization organized Economic Aspects
of the Eurasian Integration and Armenia conference in Yerevan.

Kovalenko noted the conference is of the utmost importance as it is
being held in the context of globalization and regionalization.

On his side, Stepan Sukharenko, Ambassador of Belarus to Armenia,
highlighted studying and analyzing the common economic interest in
the process of the Eurasian integration is becoming more prevailing,
and the conference is proceeding in line with this process.

“The farther we go realizing our common place in the world, the more
we understand that the Eurasian Union has no alternative. That is
why I believe the routine and not always smooth dialogue around the
new union doesn’t mean we doubt on the prevalence of common interests
and values,” he added.

Economy Minister of Armenia Tigran Davtyan, scientists, analysts
from Russia, Armenia and Belarus participated in the conference on
Saturday. -0-

ABOVYAN WATER INSPECTOR TRIED TO ORGANIZE PROVOCATION AT LIBERTY SQUARE, RAFFI HOVANNISIAN SAYS

15:07 18/03/2013 ” POLITICS

I think Liberty Square is acquiring a new form and content –
discussions, press conferences, concerts, etc., Heritage party leader,
former presidential hopeful Raffi Hovannisian told a news conference
at Liberty Square of Yerevan.

The Heritage leader said he is happy that they take part in the
process of obtaining a new content.

According to Hovannisian, there were attempts of provocation but they
did not yield to them. Abovyan water inspector tried to organize a
provocation at Liberty Square on Sunday, he added.

The Central Electoral Commission of Armenia on February 25 announced
the final results of the presidential elections in Armenia. According
to them, Serzh Sargsyan won the elections with 58.64% of the votes,
while his closest rival, Raffi Hovannisian, received 36.75% of
the votes. Hovannisian disagrees with the election results and is
holding mass protest actions. On March 4, representatives of Raffi
Hovannisian and former candidate Andrias Ghukasyan handed an appeal
to the Constitutional Court disputing the results of the February 18
presidential elections in Armenia.

Raffi Hovannisian began hunger strike at Liberty Square on March
10 evening.

Source: Panorama.am

ABOUT 85 THOUSAND MOBILE PHONE SUBSCRIBERS.

Thursday, 14 March 2013 15:40

During the past five years the number of mobile telephone subscribers
in the NKR rose three times. If in 2007 the number of subscribers was
29,886, according to the data by the end of the previous year their
number amounted to 85,474.

As minister of the industrial infrastructures Levon Mnatsakanyan
reported there are 9,992 internet subscribers and 30,298 fixed
telephone subscribers in the Republic.

It must be informed that in most residences of the Republic the
Internet is still out of reach.

IF MARTENS’ VIEW BECOMES OFFICIAL, HERITAGE WILL REVIEW ITS EPP MEMBERSHIP – RAFFI HOVANNISIAN (VIDEO)

March 18, 2013 | 13:21

YEREVAN. – If European People’s Party (EPP) President Wilfried Martens’
view becomes the general position of EPP, Armenia’s Heritage Party
will review its membership in this organization. Opposition Heritage
Party leader, former FM Raffi Hovannisian-who is declared runner-up
to the winner, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, as a result of
the presidential election that was conducted on February 18, but who
claims to be the real winner in the vote and who declared a hunger
strike on March 10 at capital city Yerevan’s Liberty Square-stated
this during a press conference at the square on Monday.

Reflecting on the EPP chief’s demeanor, Hovannisian specifically said
as follows:

“If his demeanor is Europe, we do not need that Europe. If Martens’
view becomes the view of the assembly, Heritage will review its
membership in this organization, considering that Europe is not true
to itself and Armenia will not fall into that water. As a member party,
we also will demand the resignation of Martens.”

To note, in response to Heritage’s recent open letter that was
addressed to him, Wilfried Martens had considered the accusations
the party had made against him to be baseless.

“Perhaps Serzh Sargsyan’s challenger, Raffi Hovannisian, received
much more than the votes he [actually] expected, and maybe now he
has illusions that he could have received the majority [of the votes].

[But] the reality is that, in the first round of elections, the
incumbent president received the majority of the votes,” the European
People’s Party President had stated in particular.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PREZ: “TURN ON HIS TELEPHONE…I MEAN MICROPHONE”
Grisha Balasanyan

13:06, March 18, 2013

At today’s National Assembly session, Heritage Party MP Zarouhie
Postanjyan created something of a ruckus when she tried to read a
tongue-in-cheek letter entitled “The Petition of Current President
Serzh Sargsyan to Newly Elected President Raffi Hovannisian.”

About thirty seconds into Postanjyan’s reading of the text, National
Assembly Vice-President Edward Sharmazanov ordered that her microphone
by shut off, arguing that the letter had nothing to do with the agenda
of the day.

Postanjyan remain unperturbed and continued reading the letter out
loud, without the aid of a microphone.

At the same time, National Assembly President Hovik Abrahamyan was
addressing the legislators and presenting the upcoming agenda.

Abrahamyan then gave the floor to Republican Party MP Manvel Badeyan.

“Turn on Badeyan’s telephone…I mean microphone. Let Arayik speak,”
said Abrahamyan, getting the MP’s first name wrong.

Badeyan urged Abrahamyan to use his powers to have Postanjyan removed
from the chamber.

“Have her removed so that we can proceed normally with our work.

Otherwise I will leave,” declared Badeyan.

“Mrs. Postanjyan, please allow us to continue our work,” said a
exasperated Abrahamyan.

ARMENIA’S ARONIAN THE SOLE LEADER IN THE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT

12:08 18.03.2013

Grandmaster Levon Aronian is a sole leader at the World Chess
Candidates Tournament after three rounds of play in the competition
being held in London, UK.

Armenia’s top chess player has 2 ½ points, half a point clear of the
next rival, after registering two wins and one draw.

Aronian has defeated Boris Gelfand (Israel) and Vassily Ivanchuk
(Ukraine), tying the game with FIDE’s current number one Magnus Carlsen
(Norway).

Monday is a day off in the tournament, tomorrow Aronian will play
against Peter Svidler from Russia.

The London Candidates Tournament will determine the challenger who
will face, later this year, the current title holder World Champion
Viswanathan Anand, who has reigned as World Champion since 2007.