Author: Babajanian Karo

Baku will have to host Armenians. NYT

21:27, 15 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijan distracts its nation from
the problems facing the country like poverty and a lack of potable
drinking water by focusing on the shared enemy that is Armenia. As
reports Armenpress, this was noted by outstanding The New York Times
daily.

Last weekend, the New York Times published article of Peter Savodnik.
The story, about Baku’s ambition to become a new hub for the global 1
percent, focuses on Khazar Islands, a $100 billion megadevelopment
being built on the Caspian. Author has referred to the statement of
Ibrahim Ibrahimov, who noted that Armenians could not buy there.

`On one level, if Baku has any shot at becoming the city it wants to
be, there are going to be Armenians there. Anyway, Armenians are
scheduled to compete in the 2015 European Games, which Baku is
hosting. If Baku’s bid for the 2024 Olympic Games prevails, there will
probably be Armenians there, too. There will be Armenian race-car
drivers who compete at the Formula One race track planned for Khazar
Islands, and there will be Armenian musicians who play at its symphony
hall, and there will probably be Armenian investors who see the value
in building a big, flashy development on the Caspian. Kim Kardashian
may even swing through to promote her new line of pumps or clutches or
skin scents or whatever. This is on top of the 30,000 Armenians,
according to Kenan Guluzade, the former head of marketing for Khazar
Islands, who live in Baku,’ Savodnik writes. So author of the article
reaches the conclusion that Baku will have to host Armenians.

Repaired railway station opened in Armenia’s Lori province

YEREVAN, February 15. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan,
South Caucasus Railways CEO Viktor Rebets, Armenian Transport and
Communication Minister Gagik Beglaryan and Culture Minister Hasmik
Poghosyan traveled today to northeastern Lori province to attend a
ceremony for re-opening of Tumanyan railway station that saw a
substantial reconstruction as part of an infrastructure modernization
program.

More than 300 kilometers of railways, over 160 kilometers of contact
network and Yerevan and Vanadzor railroad stations have been repaired
under this program as well. Three new railway bridges were opened in
2012 alone.

The delegation headed by the prime minister was brought to the rail
station by a new commuter train from Vanadzor, the province’s capital
city. An exhibition of local artists’ works waited the guests in the
railway station.

The bust of Hovhannes Tumanyan, prominent Armenian writer and poet,
was unveiled here on the occasion of his 135th birth anniversary.

Lori Governor Arthur Nalbandyan and other provincial officials
attended the ceremony as well.

Welcoming the guests, Viktor Rebets stressed that the station named
for this famous Armenian writer and poet is not only a mere fragment
of the railway infrastructure, but is also a part of Armenia’s
historic and architectural legacy and its rich culture.

`The renovated station and this memory corner are expected to attract
more tourists to this province,’ he said. `We not only repaired the
station, but also improved labor conditions a great deal.’

South Caucasus Railways, a 100-percent subsidiary of Russian Railways,
runs Armenian Railway.

Armenian Railways was handed over to the South Caucasus Railways on
February 13, 2008 for 30-year concession management with a right to
prolong the management term for other 10 years. –0—

Russian political expert: Armenia must be the first to recognize
independence of Nagorno Karabakh

ARMINFO
Friday, February 15, 14:02

“Armenia must be the first to recognize independence of Nagorno
Karabakh. Otherwise, no country will do it,” said Russian political
analyst and director of the
Institute of Political and Social Studies of the Black Sea and Caspian
region Vladimir Zakharov at the press service of the newspaper
“Argumenti i fakti”.

He said that Nagorno Karabakh is nothing at the moment. First, Armenia
must recognize the independence of Nagorno Karabakh, then Russia: “The
activities of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are useless for Nagorno
Karabakh. The co-chairs are doing nothing,” he said.

Addressing the event, pro-Armenian political analyst Stanislav Tarasov
underlined that Nagorno Karabakh’s independence should be first
recognized by Armenia.

“If Armenia recognizes Nagorno Karabakh’s independence, it will pave
the way for the similar steps by Russia and other states,” he said.

Anti-Armenian petitions on White House’s webpage repeat hateful
statements of dictator Aliyev

12:46 15/02/2013 » TOPIC OF THE DAY

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has formally asked
the White House for information about the types of safeguards that the
Administration has put in place to protect its popular `We the People’
on-line petition system against foreign attempts at fraudulent
manipulation of American civil society discourse.

In a letter to White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian referenced the Armenian American
community’s concern regarding `a number of petitions addressing
Armenian topics, including one that echoes, nearly word for word, the
message of Azerbaijani dictator Ilham Aliyev’s well-funded, unfounded
and hateful campaign to misrepresent Azerbaijan’s well-documented
history of aggression against Armenia and the independent Republic of
Nagorno Karabakh.’

Hamparian went on to ask for greater clarity regarding rules related
to international participation, and an explanation about any
safeguards that have been put in place against `against fraud and to
protect this important arena for dialogue with our government from
being abused by foreign entities.

Several petitions echoing Azerbaijani government attacks on Karabakh
rapidly collected tens of thousands of on-line signatures in recent
days. The text of one in particular that calls on `paying close
attention on The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’ has a direct link to the
Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

`Unlike other `We the People’ petitions, where the city and state of a
majority of signers is typically posted, the anti-Armenian petitions,
by and large, do not have any geographic identification,’ the ANCA
says.

According to the statement news of Azerbaijani government manipulation
of online metrics and social media statistics to boost the image of
authoritarian dictator Ilham Aliyev came out earlier this month in
Azadlyg newpaper, with reports of pressure on government employees to
`like’ President Aliyev’s Facebook page in the run up to his 2013
election.

President Aliyev, who has repeatedly announced that, `our main enemies
are Armenians of the world,’ flew into an anti-Armenian tirade on
Twitter a few months ago, stating that `Armenia is a country of no
value.’ He has also called Yerevan an Azerbaijani city, occupied by
Armenia, the organization notes.

The ANCA documents and, on a consistent basis, informs Congress, the
Administration, and the media about Azerbaijan’s threats and acts of
aggression against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

The ANCA widely circulates a fact sheet highlighting the direct
correlation between the increase in Azerbaijan’s military budget and
the number of ceasefire violations on the line of contact with Armenia
and Karabakh,’ the statement says.

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIE
Les observateurs de l’OSCE/BIDDH expriment leur préoccupation
concernant l’utilisation des ressources administratives

Dans un deuxième rapport intermédiaire, l’OSCE/BIDDH estime que les
fonctionnaires arméniens utiliseraient les ressources de l’État pour
favoriser la réélection du Président Sarkissian en forçant les
employés du secteur public à assister à ses réunions de campagne. «
Bien que les autorités aient déclaré leur intention d’organiser des
élections conformes aux engagements de l’OSCE, la distinction entre
les activités de la campagne et les fonctions publiques semble être
floue, même si les responsables auraient pris des congés afin de
participer à la campagne ». Selon le rapport, neuf des dix gouverneurs
des provinces d’Arménie ainsi que de nombreux maires de villes et de
villages se seraient mis en congé provisoire pour aider S. Sarkissian
à faire campagne. Le rapport indique aussi que certains des
permanences sont situés dans les édifices gouvernementaux étatiques ou
locaux, en violation à la loi arménienne. Les observateurs ont
également cité des informations de presse selon lesquelles des
enseignants et autres agents publics auraient été contraints de
participer à plusieurs réunions de Serge Sarkissian. RFE/RL relève que
Raffi Hovhannissian et d’autres candidats ont dénoncé des cas
d’utilisation des ressources administratives. Ils affirment que les
autorités auraient commencé à recueillir des données sur les
passeports des agents du secteur public. / Haykakan Jamanak, RFE/RL

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Arménie en
date du 8 février 2013

vendredi 15 février 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

GEORGIE
Tbilissi : Les activités de bienfaisance pour aider les Arméniens de
Syrie continuent

Le 9 février 2013, le soutien des structures de la communauté
arménienne à Tbilissi et à l’initiative du Centre culturel « Hayartun
» du diocèse de l’Eglise Apostolique arménienne en Géorgie un concert
de charité, consacrée à la Journée St. Vardanants, a eu lieu à
Tbilissi.

Dans la série d’événements pour aider les Arméniens de Syrie une
exposition-vente d’`uvres d’artistes arméniens de Géorgie et de
marionnettes du Thétre Davtyans a été organisée, une vente de café de
`Jazzve` a également été organisée lors du concert.

Tous les profits iront à l’aide aux victimes de la guerre civile, les
Arméniens de Syrie, et seront transférés sur un compte bancaire ouvert
à cette occasion.

Le Primat du diocèse de l’Eglise Apostolique Arménienne en Géorgie, Sa
Grce l’évêque Vazgen Mirzakhanyan avec le clergé, le personnel
diplomatique de l’ambassade de la République d’Arménie en Géorgie, les
représentants des structures de la communauté arménienne, des
intellectuels ont assisté au concert.

Le Conseiller à l’Ambassade de la République d’Arménie en Géorgie M.
Tugran Toumanian a lu l’allocution de l’Ambassadeur Extraordinaire et
Plénipotentiaire de la République d’Arménie en Géorgie M. Hovhannes
Manoukian.

Arto Tunçboyaciyan, célèbre musicien arménien, était l’invité
d’honneur du concert de charité. Il est arrivé d’Erevan et a comparu
devant le public avec son merveilleux spectacle et un discours
patriotique.

Anna Khanchalyan, Anna Pogosova, Nadya Zakharyan-Lutsenko, Ruben
Voskanyan, Hovhannes Shakhnazaryan, Nina Karapetyan et Emma Pogosova
se sont produits.

Les ensembles de danse `Jeyran` et `Mush` (chorégraphe Svetlana
Yeritsyan), `Ani` (chorégraphe Angelina Nazarian-Kochyan) et `Vanq`
(chorégraphe Liana Kashavanidze) ont rempli la salle avec l’esprit
patriotique des danses nationales.

A la fin de l’événement le Primat du diocèse de l’Eglise Apostolique
Arménienne en Géorgie, Sa Grce l’évêque Vazgen Mirzakhanyan a parlé
de la fête de Saint Vardanants et a appelé à renforcer la foi
chrétienne qui a inspiré peuple arménien pour préserver ses croyances
et sa patrie .

vendredi 15 février 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 14 2013

Edward Sharmazanov: `Economic relations should be diversified’

14 February 2013 – 7:30am
Interview by David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

The vice-speaker of the Armenian parliament and press secretary of the
Republican Party, Edward Sharmazanov told Vestnik Kavkaza on prospects
of participation of Armenia in integration processes in the
post-Soviet area, and the possibility of surprises ahead of the
presidential elections.

– As a republican, do you think major force situations can
appear ahead of the elections?

– I don’t think it is possible in the current situation. We
had a major force situation during the March elections in 2008, which
were accompanied by the moral and political crisis and human
casualties. The society was divided into two opposite sides, it was
full of hatred. I participated in these developments and know how
difficult they were. Today such surprises won’t happen, and it is not
because of a wave of a magic wand. Yes, the current Armenia has many
problems and issues that should be settled, but everything is
comparative. Today the level of democracy, pluralism, the mass media
freedom, the political culture is much higher than we had 5 years ago.

– What is important for Republicans along with the victory of
their candidate?

– First of all, it is important for the RPA to provide
transparent, free, and democratic elections today. Armenia has a
chance to organize the best elections after which the society won’t be
divided into `them’ and `us.’ Only the society will decide whether to
trust the authorities or not. I think we are far away from Brezhnev’s
times of absence of pluralism. And as the ruling party we have to
provide all necessary conditions for free elections. I am sure
international and local observers will have an opportunity to see it.

– What do you think about the participation of Armenia in
European integration projects, for instance the Eastern Partnership,
and initiated by Moscow projects of integration in the post-Soviet
space?

– The RPA is a supporter of an active foreign political
course in all possible directions. Therefore, we are not only
supporters of the European integration, our priority is the
realization of the multisided policy. I would like to note that the
Armenian authorities have always been supporters of forming good
relations with all major political players at a high level.
Considering the geopolitical peculiarities of our regions, it is very
important for us. Moreover, Russia itself cooperates actively with
Europe and the West in general. I believe economic relations cannot
develop in one direction only, they should be diversified.

– Does the Associative Agreement with the EU, which is going
to be signed, contradict a possible membership of Armenia in the
Customs and future Eurasian Unions?

– I think these are two different things, and they should be
considered from different points of view. Good relations with Europe
do not require Armenia’s denial of its duties to Russia. Armenia is
one of the most active supporters of integration process in the
post-Soviet space.

President Serge Sargsyan stated in one of his interviews that the
republic stands for the realization of almost any integration
processes within the CIS. There is no other way, considering our
interests in new markets and opportunities of the Customs Union, for
example. The same view we have on European integration process.

– What about Armenia’s security?

– Of course this element is a priority for the authorities of
Armenia in relations with partners. It is no secret that our security
is globally provided by the strategic partner of Armenia – Russia.
Improvement of relations with our strategic partner is a long-term
priority for the RPA. Thus, we can definitely say that Armenia
connects its security with a partnership with Russia and its
membership in the CSTO. We have never discussed our possible
membership in the NATO. At the same time, we are intensively
developing partner relations with European countries and the USA. We
believe it is acceptable and doesn’t damage our strategic relations
with Russia, our main ally.

Armenian community celebrated Tyarnuntarach in St. Sarkis church of Damascus

20:50, 14 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS: Despite long-lasting Syrian clashes,
Armenian community in Damascus has festively celebrated the Feast of
the Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple (Tyarnuntarach). As
Armenpress was informed from press office of National Primacy of the
Damascus, Tyarnuntarach holiday ceremony took place on February 13, in
St. Sarkis church.

After solemn worship, leader of the Diocese His Holiness bishop Arsham
Nalbandyan presented the meaning of Tyarnuntarach and national customs
and traditions connected with it.

Afterwards, they lighted a bonfire in the church courtyard.

Real estate agencies in Armenia close down, cut staffs

TERT.AM
18:47 – 14.02.13

After the recent amendments in the Armenian law on `License Fees’ a
number of real estate agencies closed, others cut their staff. Alo
real estate agency established in 1994 closed from January 1, 2013, an
official from the agency said.

Director of Viva Realty agency Edward Harutyunyan told Tert.am that
some agencies closed and some were forced to cut their staff.

`Not all can work in these conditions,’ Harutyunyan said, saying the
demanded sums are large.

An official from Alfa Realty said there are no deals, instead the
unemployment rate exceeds all expectations.

Armenia drops 80th in FIFA rankings

February 14, 2013 – 17:03 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia dropped 3 spots in Feb 14 FIFA rankings to
be placed 80th with 462points.
Armenia’s rivals in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers are placed as
follows: Italy is 5th with 1157 points, Denmark is 22nd with 825
points, Czech Republic is 26th with 797 points, Bulgaria and Malta are
placed 48th and 149th with 590 and 173 points respectively.
Spain tops the FIFA rankings, followed by Germany and England with
1437 and 1281 points resp.