Author: Babajanian Karo

EXPERT SAYS TURKEY CAN’T RIVAL RUSSIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 24, 2012 – 21:16 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian political analyst linked the recent
developments in Syria with the artillery shells that hit Turkish
territory October 3.

“The situation has gone out of control,” Sergey Shakaryants said,
expressing surprise over the Syrian authorities’ decision to present
apologies to Turkey after the recent incidents.

He further dubbed the territory a kind of concentration camp due to
Syria’s and Turkey’s authority circles.

“Syrian developments are nothing but an anti-state conspiracy, with
different countries involved in it,” Mr. Shakaryants said, stressing
Turkey’s inability to rival Russia regarding the issue.

EXPERT DEEMS FREE DEMOCRATS PARTY GOVT.-INITIATED PROJECT

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 24, 2012 – 18:08 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian political expert believes the Free Democrats
party to be a government-initiated project.

Dwelling on the party’s participation format in the upcoming
presidential race, in conversation with PanARMENIAN.Net reporter,
Levon Shirinyan stressed the need to consider the issue from the
perspective of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), noting
the latter to have real chances for victory.

As media outlets reported earlier, Free Democrats is currently
developing a strategy for the presidential elections in February.

According to Hraparak daily, rumors circulated recently about the
possible nomination of the party’s vice-president Anush Sedrakyan,
which would make Free Democrats the first political force in Armenia
to have a female presidential candidate.

IVANISHVILI’S COALITION NOT YET LINKING ABKHAZIAN, OSSETIAN, AND KARABAKH CONFLICTS WITH ONE ANOTHER – GEORGIAN POLITICAL SCIENTIST

news.am
October 24, 2012 | 04:17

Bidzina Ivanishvili’s bloc is not yet linking its outlook on the
Abkhazian and South Ossetian conflicts with the Nagorno-Karabakh issue,
Georgian political scientist and member MP of Ivanishvili’s Georgian
Dream coalition, Mamuka Areshidze, told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“I have not seen such link in Ivanishvili’s statements and I don’t
think it exists. In any case, it is early to speak about as to what
position Georgia’s new government will adopt in the Karabakh question;
it depends on a number of factors,” Areshidze added.

ARMENIAN ACTOR SOS SARGSYAN TURNS 83

01:53 pm | Today | Social

Popular Armenian actor Sos Sargsyan turns 83 on October 24. However,
“Hamazgain” (All-National) Theatre is not going to show any performance
on the occasion. The reason is that People’s Artist of Armenia is
currently in hospital where he was taken on October 19 as a result
of lung failure, a representative of the theater, Rima Ghazaryan,
told A1+.

“The actor is under the supervision of physicians. Unfortunately, no
performances will be shows at the theatre on the day of his birthday.

Doctors described his condition as stable,” she said.

Sos Sargsyan was born in the city of Stepanavan in 1929. In 1948,
he moved to Yerevan and worked at Yerevan State Theatre of the Young
Spectator as an actor. He acted in forty feature films, including
“Guys from the Army Band,” “Triangular,” “We and Our Mountains,”
“Nahapet,” “Khatabala,” and many others.

ANCA-SFVE TO HOST EXCLUSIVE COMMUNITY MIXER

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 24, 2012 – 12:43 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On the evening of Oct 30, the East San Fernando
Valley chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA-SFVE) will host an exclusive Community Mixer in Studio City,
California, where political officials, businesspersons, and community
leaders will have an opportunity to meet and discuss issues pertaining
to the local Armenian-American community, Asbarez reports.

Home to tens of thousands of Armenian-American residents and hundreds
of Armenian-American owned businesses, the eastern San Fernando Valley
neighborhoods of North Hollywood, Studio City, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks
and neighboring areas are fast becoming the hub of the greater Los
Angeles City Armenian community.

To meet the cultural, religious, educational, and social needs of
the community, several longstanding institutions have established
chapters in the eastern San Fernando Valley including the Armenian
Cultural Foundation (ACF), Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Armenian
Relief Society, and the Armenian General Athletic Union (Homenetmen).

Additionally, several churches, an Armenian school and even an Armenian
charter school have been founded in the region.

The ANCA-SFVE has worked diligently to organize the community and
encourage civic engagement by promoting increased voter registration
and participation among Armenian-Americans of the eastern San Fernando
Valley, encouraging youth to participate in community affairs, and
helping instill an increased sense of pride in community.

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA: GENOCIDE OF ARMENIANS IN THE OTTOMAN TURKEY GOES ON REMAINING A TRAGEDY THAT FELL INTO NEGLECT

arminfo
Thursday, October 25, 16:04

The genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Turkey goes on remaining a
tragedy that fell into neglect, President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan,
said in an interview with the Italian Quotidiano Nazionale.

ARMENIA’S PARLIAMENT INCREASES MINIMUM WAGE BY $6

news.am
October 25, 2012 | 13:01

YEREVAN. – The Armenian National Assembly (NA) passed, on Thursday
and in the first hearing, the bill on making amendments to the Law
on Minimum Monthly Wage.

The voting on this proposed law was preceded by the brief interventions
of representatives from the NA factions, Armenian News-NEWS.am
reporter informs.

Following the interventions, the voting began and, as a result, 67
MPs voted for and 7 Deputies voted against this bill, whereas 25 MPs
cast abstaining votes.

To note, pursuant to this proposed law, the monthly minimum wage will
be AMD 35,000 (approx. $85), instead of the current 32,500 (approx.
$79), as of January 1, 2013, in Armenia.

REPORT: U.S. CLOSED EMBASSY IN KHARTOUM PRIOR TO ARMS PLANT ATTACK

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 25, 2012 – 13:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The United States closed its embassy in the Sudanese
capital of Khartoum on Wednesday, Oct 24 prior to an airstrike that
hit a weapons plant in the country, The Jerusalem Post reports citing
pan-Arab Al-Hayat newspaper.

According to Al-Hayat, there was speculation in Khartoum that the
closing of the U.S. embassy indicated the U.S. had prior knowledge
of the attack. The airstrike caused a huge explosion and fire at an
arms factory that killed two people.

Sudan called on the UN Security Council to condemn Israel after it
accused the Jewish State of carrying out the strike.

THE SESSION OF FIDE PRESIDENTIAL BOARD WILL BE HELD IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. The session of the FIDE presidential
board will be held in Yerevan on January 18-21, 2013. As the Chess
Federation of Armenia informed “Armenpress” right after that session
another important event will take place in Yerevan. On January 22-25,
the session of executive committee of European Chess Union will be
held in the capital of the Republic of Armenia.

The Chess Federation of Armenia also informed us that two dozens of
Armenian chessplayers will take part in Mikhail Chigorin Memorial
Tournament in St Petersburg on October 27. Among our chessplayers are
thrice Olympic chess champion Vladimir Hkobyan, Grand Masters Robert
Hovhannisyan, Zaven Andriasyan, Avetik Grigoryan, Artur Gabrielyan,
Sergey Grigoryants and Yuri Hayrapetyan.

ALEXANDER ISKANDARYAN: RPA WANTS NEW MEMORANDUM FOR TSARUKYAN TO GIVE UP IDEA OF RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT

Panorama.am
25/10/2012

I would refrain from making assumptions that Gagik Tsarukyan will
be broken ahead of the presidential elections, political scientist
Alexander Iskandaryan told reporters in Yerevan.

According to him, the key issue on Armenia’s domestic political agenda
is whether Prosperous Armenia Party will nominate its candidate for
president or will back Serzh Sargsyan in the presidential elections.

“If PAP does not nominate its candidate, the other parties will
benefit from it because it will lead to dynamics of votes received by
them. However, it is still unclear which way Tsarukyan will choose,
because the pressures against him have not broken him yet,” said
the expert.

Referring to Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s statement that currently
the coalition memorandum is the only document signed by Tsarukyan
which certifies that he will back Serzh Sargsyan in the presidential
elections, Iskandaryan noted that all developments show that RPA
wants to have a new memorandum for Tsarukyan to give up the idea of
running for president.

As for nomination of other candidates from PAP, in particular, Vartan
Oskanian, Iskandaryan said it is unlikely but cannot be ruled out.