Author: Babajanian Karo

Paruyr Hayrikyan considers his opponents to be privy to assassination
attempt against him

ARMINFO
Thursday, February 14, 15:58

Presidential candidate Paruyr Hayrikyan considers his opponents to be
privy to the Jan 31 assassination attempt against him, because after
the attack the other
candidates continued their election campaign as if nothing had happened.

“This is tantamount to a situation, when one of the boxers in the ring
is shot, and the other boxer keeps on hitting him. I thought the
incident that happened to me would sober my opponents, however, they
unfortunately continued their campaign, perfectly realizing that I had
no opportunity to do the same for certain reasons”, Hayrikyan said at
today’s press conference with indignation. He added that such a
behavior of the candidates defames them.

He said that the only candidate who suspended his election campaign
for at least a day was the incumbent President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan.

Hayrikyan failed to specify the persons behind the attack on him. He
said that the attack was organized thoroughly and competently, and the
customers had completely insured themselves.

To remind, on Jan 31 Leader of the National Self-Determination Union
Paruyr Hayrikyan was shot in the shoulder and then underwent surgery.
On Feb 8 the National Security Service detained two men Albert
Poghosyan and Samvel Haroutyunyan, who have already made confessionary
statements. The first instance court made a decision to arrest
Poghosyan and Haroutyunyan at the Feb 10 closed session.

Wife of Public Services Regulatory Commission Prez Declares $300,000 in Cash
Grisha Balasanyan

$300000-in-cash.html
14:19, February 13, 2013

Robert Nazaryan has headed Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory
Commission since 2003.

As such, he basically gives the green light to proposed rate hikes for
utilities like electricity, gas and water. These rates never seem to
come down.

He officially declared 8,435,756 AMD and $8,300 in revenue for 2012.

At the start of 2012, he had 11 million AMD and $112,000 in the bank.
By the end of the year, only 12 million AMD remained.

His wife Svetlana Kharatyan declared $24,500 in revenue for 2012. The
amount was interest income.

She also had 2 million AMD and $300,000 in cash holdings last year.

Demonstrators Demand a Halt to Planned Leasing of Syunik Pasture Lands to Iran
Narek Aleksanyan

13:27, February 14, 2013

Demonstrators assembled in front of the Armenian Government building
in Yerevan to voice their opposition regarding any plan to lease
pasture land in Armenia’s southern Syunik Province to Iranian
sheepherders.

Holding signs that read `Nomadic Animal Herders Have No Business in
Syounik’, protest participants argued that is rife with security,
demographic and environmental risks.

They said that such a plan, much bandied about in the Armenian press
would hurt the domestic livestock industry and was being promoted by a
small group of businessmen looking to make a profit at the expense of
national interests.

Other signs on display read `Not One Arab Sheep in Syunik’ and `Let’s
Protect the Lands Saved by Nzhdeh from the Nzhdeh Poseurs of Today’.

Armen Lazarian, a member of the board of the Hayazni NGO, which
organized the protest, told Hetq that if the planned 50, 000 hectares
for lease were concentrated in one locale the threats wouldn’t be as
great.

`But Armenia doesn’t have such a large expanse of pastureland in one
area. Patches of land here and there will be destroyed by the
rummaging sheep that eat the grass, roots and all. The land soon dries
up.’

Armen Hovhannisyan, another Hayazni activist, said the environmental
ramifications would be disastrous.

`We are diametrically opposed to any such step that further threatens
the natural environment of Armenia. We view that environment as one
where we will have to live, create a culture and develop statehood.’

The demonstrators handed a copy of their demands to the government
reception office. In their letter, they promised to follow-up on the
issue and see to it that similar issues are nipped in the bud.

Ministry of Defense of Armenia continues to develop international
military cooperation with a number of countries

13:23, 14 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s Ministry of Defense
continues to restore international military cooperation with partner
countries. 2013 bilateral cooperation plans have been signed between
Armenia’s Defense Ministry defense policy department and relevant
bodies responsible for international cooperation in Republic of
Bulgaria, Republic of Poland, Republic of Lithuania and the Czech
Republic. Armenia’s Defense Ministry told Armenpress, Armenia’s armed
forces officers education, various training courses and exchange of
experience refer to the implementation of reforms in the armed forces,
planning of resources, armed forces legal procedures are stipulated in
the documents.Discussions between the sides regarding defense policy
issues are also included in the documents.

Carrefour’s entering Armenian market will enhance competition – Economy Minister

NEWS.AM
February 14, 2013 | 13:18

YEREVAN.- Carrefour Group’s entering Armenian market will improve
competition here, Armenian Economy Minister told reporters on
Thursday.

Tigran Davtyan noted that a number of goods and services would become
more available to the consumers.

The government is interested in Carrefour’s entering Armenia, as it is
not only business but culture, he stressed.

`We are doing our best to attract Carrefour as soon as possible, it
refers to all transnational companies,’ Davtyan added.

In his words, the government provided $40 million for holding talks to
attract transnational companies.

He noted that Carrefour’s coming into the Armenian market is
conditioned exclusively by problems with a private entity. However,
Davtyan stressed it is a usual thing for business.

U. S. State Department urges Azerbaijani authorities to provide
Aylisli’s security

12:40, 14 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. The U. S. State Department called on
the Azerbaijani authorities to take measures to provide security of
writer Akram Aylisli and other citizens. During the daily briefing the
State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland was asked whether the
State Department follows the course of events full of pressure and
threats against the writer. As reports “Armenpress” Victoria Nuland
stated: “We have been watching this very closely. It’s our
understanding today that the Modern Musavat party has now rescinded
the offer and law enforcement authorities have called in this
individual for questioning, which is the right way for this to go.
Obviously, we strongly support and believe in respect for freedom of
expression. We urge the Azerbaijani Government to uphold its
commitments to protect the safety and security of Mr. Aylisli and all
of its citizens.”

Azerbaijani writer Akram Aylisli’s, who wrote Stone Dreams, is a
novella about Azerbaijani abuses and violence against the Armenians
during the Independence war of Nagorno-Karabakh is facing life threats
now in Baku. Both the government and the opposition seem to be
furious. The opposition leader suggested $12,000 reward for cutting
his ear, for example, and his family members were forced to retire.

ARMENIE
Selon un membre du parti Dachnak, le changement de gouvernement par le
biais des élections est désormais impossible

C’est ce qu’a déclaré Armen Roustamian, cité par RFE/RL, ce au motif
d’un abus de pouvoir par les autorités. Il affirme que c’est la raison
pour laquelle son parti a décidé de ne pas présenter de candidat aux
élections présidentielles : « Le fait que le système électoral exclut
désormais un changement de régime signifie que quelque chose ne va pas
dans le pays », a-t-il dit. Selon M. Roustamian, son parti aurait pu
entrer dans la mêlée si les forces de l’opposition avaient présenté un
candidat unique contre le Président sortant. « Malheureusement, nous
ne nous sommes pas accordés sur un candidat commun ».

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Arménie en
date du 7 février 2013

jeudi 14 février 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

FRANCE BREAKS TURKEY’S EU DEADLOCK

February 12, 2013 6:31 pm

By Hugh Carnegy in Paris, Tony Barber in London and Daniel Dombey
in Istanbul

France has moved to relaunch the EU’s strained relationship with
Turkey, reversing a block on Ankara’s membership negotiations after
years of deadlock.

Laurent Fabius, French foreign minister, on Tuesday told his Turkish
counterpart, that Paris had agreed to resume accession talks,
a decision that marks a warming in ties between the two countries
after a long period of tension under former President Nicolas Sarkozy.

But officials in Brussels and Ankara remained concerned that more
than seven years after Turkey’s accession talks formally began and
with most of the negotiation issues still paralysed, there may be
little time to breathe life into the process.

The EU is deeply divided over whether eventually to admit Turkey as
a full member. The bloc’s attractions for Ankara have, meanwhile,
diminished during the eurozone crisis.

In a recent opinion poll in Turkey almost two-thirds of respondents
said they now opposed joining the EU. Whether out of frustration or
to put pressure on the EU, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, prime minister,
has recently raised the possibility of deepening ties with the
Russian-Chinese backed Shanghai Co-operation Organisation instead.

Mr Fabius told Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey’s foreign minister, that
negotiations should resume on one of the 35 negotiating “chapters”
in the talks – on regional policy. He indicated further chapters
could be opened in the future.

The step is expected to pave the way for President Francois Hollande
to visit Turkey, although no date has yet been set. The French
foreign ministry said that France wanted to impart “a new spirit”
to relations between Ankara and the EU.

“This is certainly a change of attitude from the former government,”
said one official in Paris, although he added it was “too early” to
say whether France would now swing fully behind Turkish EU membership,
which Mr Sarkozy explicitly opposed.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Egemen Bagis, Turkey’s
Europe minister, said he was hopeful the EU would now formally open
negotiations on regional policy during Ireland’s presidency of the
EU in the first half of 2013. But he cautioned that further progress
could be elusive.

“At a time when Europe is going through its own monetary problems,
getting a consensus among EU states on opening Chapter 17 on monetary
policy [also currently blocked by Paris] would be hard, but not
impossible,” he said.

No chapter has been opened since June 2010. Aside from regional
affairs, France is still blocking four chapters, Cyprus another six,
and the EU has ruled that eight cannot be opened nor can any chapters
be concluded because of Turkish policies on the eastern Mediterranean
island and Ankara’s failure to abide by a related EU agreement.

The French foreign ministry said Paris expected Turkey to “contribute
in concrete terms” to further improvement of relations. Many
EU officials are watching to see if Ankara will relax draconian
anti-terror laws – long criticised by Brussels – as a byproduct
of negotiations with the Kurdistan Workers party, a militant group
internationally classified as terrorist.

But they argue that with Turkey facing a presidential election next
year – in which Mr Erdogan is almost certain to run – there is little
time to restore credibility to the negotiations before electoral
politics intervene.

Turkey officials add that they also want to see stronger commitments
by the EU towards eventual visa-free travel European visa regulations
are a perennial headache for Turkish businessmen.

Although the European Commission is offering the start of talks on
visa liberalisation in return for Ankara signing and implementing
an agreement on readmitting illegal migrants, Turkey wants greater
clarity from Brussels on a road map towards visa liberalisation.

Asked if there were any progress on the issue, Mr Bagis said:
“It takes two to tango. We are on the dance floor waiting for the
Commission to join us.”

FEBRUARY 18 ELECTION CONFLICTS WITH CONSTITUTION’S LOGIC – ARMENIAN OPPOSITIONIST

22:34 ~U 13.02.13

The Armenian presidential election slated for February 18 not only
fails to meet the Constitution’s logic but also conflicts with the
country’s basic law, according to an opposition MP.

In an address issued to the Armenians ahead of the presidential polls,
Nikol Pashinyan of the opposition Armenian National Congress says a
real election would be the one in which people would have the power
to decide their future leader.

“The group which acceded to power through the March 1, 2008 bloody
revolt has managed to create an unprecedented situation – also due to
our mistake as an opposition, – which not only prevents the people
from deciding who Armenia’s president will be, but also sees the
man who has occupied the president’s residence wishing to decide
de facto what people should do and how. Serzh Sargsyan, by the way,
does not even conceal such an intention,” reads the statement.

Blaming the incumbent president for the March 1, 2008 post-electoral
turmoil that left 10 people dead and scores of others injured, the
opposition MP warns the Armenian voters against casting their ballot
in favor of Sargsyan on February 18. He makes calls for optimism to
the Armenians in Armenia and the diaspora communities.

“The Republic of Armenia does have a Future as long as we haven’t given
up struggling for it and haven’t renounced our duty to inherit a Free
and Happy Armenia to our children. We haven’t stopped and will never
stop. We have taken up the duty so it is subject to being fulfilled,”
he says.

COURT DROPS “BEATING” CHARGES AGAINST HELSINKI ASSOCIATION MONITOR VEZIRYAN

12:49, February 13, 2013

A Yerevan court today dropped criminal charges against Helsinki
Association member Arman Veziryan who was involved in a fist fight
on April 30, 2012 while monitoring political campaigning activities
in the run-up to the May 6 parliamentary election.

Veziryan had followed HAK campaign volunteer Davit Gasparyan
distributing flyers to homes along Sedrak Sargsyan Street in Yerevan.

Sargsyan approached a home and, seeing the door ajar, tossed some
leaflets inside. The home owner, hearing, raised the alarm and
solicited the help of her neighbor Tigran Manoukyan, who was doing
repairs on his house.

Manoukyan chased Gasparyan and accused him of throwing unwanted items
into the house.

At this point, Veziryan intervened and he and Gasparyan got into
a shouting match. Blows were exchanged; Gasparyan landing two and
Veziryan, one.

The lower court referred to a decision by the Court of Cassation
(Arevik and Tzovinar Sahakyan,; November 1, 2012) were the definition
of a charge of “beating” was defined as two or more blows.

Thus the lower court dropped the charges against Veziryan and fined
Manoukyan 30,000 AMD.