Author: Babajanian Karo

FIVE IN VERY CRITICAL CONDITION FOLLOWING YEREVAN BUILDING COLLAPSE – HEALTH MINISTRY

news.am
October 25, 2012 | 14:54

YEREVAN. – A construction crew of eleven remained under the debris
as a result of Thursday’s collapse of a building in downtown of
Armenia’s capital city Yerevan, the Health Ministry informed Armenian
News-NEWS.am.

Nine of the injured were taken to hospital on ambulances. Five of them
are in very critical condition while the remaining four are in average
critical condition. But this information is only preliminary. Two
other construction workers, who were removed from underneath the
debris, received first at the construction site, and there was no
need to hospitalize them, the Ministry informed.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, a semi-constructed building
collapsed on Thursday morning in Yerevan. The Ministry of Emergency
Situations (MES) received a call at 1:10pm informing that firemen
and rescuers were needed. Subsequently, the firemen and rescuers were
dispatched to the scene, MES informed.

And the identities of the nine injured are made public, and they
are as follows: Kamo Kagramanov, 50, Arman, 40, Arman Grigoryan,
25, Arsen Hayrapetyan, 30, Nahapet Badalyan, Volodya Matevosyan,
Sirak Tovmasyan, Edik Sukiasyan, 30, and Robert Arakelyan, 53.

Minister of Emergency Situations Armen Yeritsyan has arrived at the
scene of the incident.

DRASTIC MEASURE SUGGESTED FOR POPULATION INCREASE: RADICAL SPECIALISTS IGNITE DEBATE WITH CALL FOR LEGALIZED POLYGAMY
By Gayane Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow
Society | 25.10.12 | 14:02

NAZIK ARMENAKYAN

Suggestions by at least one sociologist to introduce polygamy as a
means on how to solve the dire demographic issues Christian Armenia
is severely challenged with has raised something close to a public
tornado. Some, however, are convinced that Armenia should consider
the issue, just as Israel, where introduction of polygamy is being
discussed as a possible countermeasure against the demographic
expansion of Muslim countries.

Armenia is, indeed, on the verge of demographic crisis – birthrate
has seen 50 percent decrease and immigration indexes have increased
considerably. By UN Population Fund’s (UNPF) predictions at this
rate by 2050 the population of Armenia will be 2.3 – 2.5 million,
when Azerbaijan’s population will be doubled, reaching from today’s
9 million to 18.

Doctor, psychiatrist Harutyun Minasyan says solving social issues is
not enough to meet the demographic challenge, because of infertility
and the insufficient amount of men represented in the parenting
demographic.

“It is a serious challenge for our country, mostly the families who
have boys have left the country because of the war, and now young
men are leaving the country because of social issues, this leads to
quantitative imbalance between men and women of reproductive age –
this is the main reason why polygamy should be encouraged,” Minasyan,
heading Nor Arabkir health center, told ArmeniaNow.

According to his data, the ratio gap between men and women of
reproductive age will lead to further cut in birthrate.

“By non-official data, the ratio is one man to seven women, we
have 60,000 women of reproductive age in Armenia (single, divorced
and widowed), who can still have children, but because of negative
public attitude they refrain from having children, and if polygamy
is encouraged they can have legal children,” says Minasyan.

Another supporter of the idea, sociologist Aharon Adibekyan is calling
“to put aside fake morality of petty bourgeoisie for the sake of the
nation’s survival”.

“The Armenian nation is on the list of declining nations in the
United Nation’s Population Fund report. Look at it pragmatically: we
either stay loyal to our Christian values and fade away or reconsider
our values and traditions for the sake of survival of our nation,”
Adibekyan told ArmeniaNow.

According to official data, the number of women and men in Armenia
is almost equal – 52 and 48 percent respectively, however, Adibekyan
claims that in reality there are currently much fewer men in the
country.

“After completing the army service young men leave the country almost
immediately because they can’t find employment. If there is a long way
to go for economic development, then the issue is going to be hard
to solve, so we should allow at least those men who are in Armenia
to have more than one wife and boost the birth-rate,” says Adibekyan.

According to him, every 10th potential bride is left without a couple,
and having a child without first getting marriage is viewed as disgrace
in Armenia.

“A child has to be born in a family, even if it’s the second or third
family [of the same man], beside the fact that illegal children are
treated as bastards in our society, there are plenty of studies showing
that children who grow up in father-less families are more prone to
becoming criminals and drug-addicts. Hence, a full family is required,
and if there are not enough men, there has to be polygamy,” he says.

The biggest issue is the infertility rate; by official data 20 percent
of women are infertile, and as Minasyan says, “if a woman can’t have
a child, no matter how many social projects the state implements,
it won’t help”.

“By international standards, a country is on the verge of a demographic
crisis when infertility rate reaches 15 percent, meanwhile in Armenia
it is 20. They say in that case the solution is surrogate maternity,
but it’s not an option yet, since it’s too expensive a ‘pleasure’,”
says Minasyan.

Surrogate mother service in Armenia costs $25,000; by non-official
data annually some 100 deals are made, however there is no data on
how many children are actually born.

The idea of polygamy in conservative Armenia is taken with sharp
hostility, despite the fact that historically – in pagan and
early-Christian Armenia – polygamy did exist, the Armenian royal
court even had a ministry for the protection, training and education
of the kings’ wives and children.

“It is not a solution, but futile talks by futile people, and if those
short-sighted ill-judged ideas attract attention, we will also use our
Armenian families, and that will be the end of it – everything will
collapse,” says president of Armenian Social-Democratic Initiative
NGO Ruben Yegoyan with outrage.

He does not deny the serious demographic issues apparent in Armenia,
but believes it is mostly because of social issues.

“It is not the lack of men that children are not born, but because
of lack of sufficient means and unemployment. How many men can
afford having two families and support them? It is not serious,”
says Yeganyan.

United Nations Population Fund executive officer Garik Hayrapetyan
is convinced that the issue is not based on a reliable research,
and concrete statistical data on the gap in men and women ratio are
required to understand whether polygamy is really necessary.

“First of all it has to be researched, it is wrong to suggest solutions
based merely on emotions or assumptions. As for the future, it will
not even be an issue, since we are going to have a reverse picture –
the number of boys will predominate and we’ll have lack of girls,”
he told ArmeniaNow.

The survey recently initiated by the Fund has revealed that selective
abortions in Armenia have reached alarming scales, and as a result
50,000 more boys have been born in Armenia since 1993 than girls.

“These boys will soon become of reproductive age, and how are we going
to have polygamy, if there soon will be 1.5 times more men among
Armenian population than women? So talking about polygamy today is
groundless, to say the least,” says Hayrapetyan.

ARMENIAN POLITICIAN SAYS REPATRIATION OF MIGRANTS POSSIBLE

tert.am
25.10.12

The investment of the Russian capital in Armenia will contribute
to the economy’s rapid development, causing many migrants to return
to the country, according to Artashes Geghamyan, the leader of the
National Unity party.

The politician thinks that the economic cooperation with Russia
creates wide opportunities requiring a huge human potential.

Geghamyan, who also represents the ruling Republican Party faction
in National Assembly, told Tert.am on Thursday that he is planning
to issue a comprehensive analysis in the near future to address
the Armenian-Russian friendly ties and the main aspects of
political-military alliance between the two countries.

Asked whether the ruling party has a unanimous approach to the issue,
the politician said it would be better to address the question to
the head of their parliamentary faction, Galust Sahakyan.

“My book entitled the Eurasian Union is Our Future, was presented
eight months ago. And respectable [President] Serzh Sargsyan, Galust
Sahakyan and several other partners from the Republican Party attended
the presentation ceremony,” he said.

Geghamyan’s statements are noteworthy particularly against the
background of a recent Russian State Duma law requiring the employment
migrants to take a Russian language test upon obtaining a permit to
reside and work in the country.

Geghamyan promised to address the issue in more detail in his analysis.

Asked whether he thinks the Armenian-Russian relations are on
the desired level, the politician referred to a publication by a
US analytical center. The document says that the most up-to-date
Russian-made S 300 water-to-air missiles deployed in Zangezur,
particularly in Goris, also take Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and
Nakhichevan under their protection.

GERMANS NOT WELL AWARE ABOUT ARMENIA

news.am
October 23, 2012 | 18:39

YEREVAN. – Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Armenia received on
Tuesday German Ambassador to Armenia Reiner Morell.

Head of the Chamber, MP Martin Sargsyan introduced the ambassador
with the Armenian-German economic relations and the Chamber’s role
in developing these relations.

Sargsyan also emphasized the processing of agricultural products,
high technologies and the tourism fields, which have lots of potential
reserves, the Chamber press service informs.

The ambassador claims German people do not really know enough about
Armenia, hence, it is better to start from information exchange,
mutual visits and exhibitions.

SECOND PARLIAMENT BRIBERY VIDEO IMPLICATES PRESIDENT ALIYEV AND HIS WIFE

AzeriReport
Oct 8 2012
Azerbaijan

BAKU. October 8, 2012. Oppositional newspaper “Azadliq” has released
a second hidden cam video on Saturday where the leading MP from the
ruling YAP party, Gular Ahmadova, is asking for a million dollar bribe
for getting someone a seat in Azerbaijan’s national parliament. In
the new video, Ahmadova names the country’s President Ilham Aliyev and
his wife Mehriban Aliyeva among people directing lists of candidates
to be “elected” into the parliament (click here for the link to the
second video in Azeri).

In the new video, which seems to be another part of the million dollar
parliament seat bribe conversation revealed by the first video, MP
Gular Ahmadova chides Elshad Abdullayev for double-crossing her and
trying to work with other people, namely President Aliyev’s late uncle
Agil Aliyev, to secure his “election” to the parliament. She recalls
examples of two other people, mentioned as “Algish” and “Musa”, whom
she and her associates “got into the parliament”, but who went on to
work with others: jailed former minister Ali Insanov and the current
mayor of Baku Hajibala Abutalibov. “This time it can’t happen”,
warns Ahmadova.

Seconding her, Sevinj Babyeva, acting as the intermediary between
Ahmadova and Abdullayev, tells him “if you started working with Master
Ramiz [the head of Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehtiyev],
if you went with him, you have to keep on working with him”. This
seems to confirm that Gular Ahamadova was really representing Ramiz
Mehdiyev in the bribery scheme.

Then, in a striking conclusion, Ahmadova says: “You know, there people
who are Farhad’s people [jailed former minister Farhad Aliyev]. They
know that this is Farhad’s list; this is Ali Insanov’s list [another
jailed former minister]. They know this [list] is for Kamaladdin
Heydarov [the current top oligarch and minister of Emergency
Situations], this is for Ramiz Mehdiyev [the head of Presidential
Administration], this is for Ilham Aliyev [President], this is for
Mehriban Aliyeva [President’s wife].”

Both videos were sent to “Azadliq” newspaper by Elshad Abdullayev,
an exiled rector of a private university shut down by the government,
who now lives in France. He is the person with whom Gular Ahmadova is
seen haggling on the videos over the bribe amount. In his letter to
“Azadliq”, Abdullayev noted that he sent the second video in order to
prove that Ahmadova was not acting on her own behalf in the bribery
scheme, as some Azerbaijani officials claimed after the first video was
released. He knew that by herself Ahmadova was not capable to guarantee
someone a seat in the parliament. Rather, she has convinced him that
the bribe money will go to the head of Presidential Administration,
Ramiz Mehdiyev.

After the first video, Gular Ahmadova was expelled from the ruling
party and the parliament, and regime officials released statements
condemning both her and Abdullayev. However, many see this as
an attempt to use her as a scape-goat, while the more important
implications from the videos – the illegitimacy of the parliament and
the personal involvement in bribery schemes and election falsifications
by President Aliyev, his wife, and other high officials, like Ramiz
Mehdiyev – are conveniently overlooked.

(Azadliq, Azeri Report)

SYRIAN COMMUNITIES IN BRAZIL, BULGARIA, ARMENIA AND BELARUS EXPRESS SUPPORT TO HOMELAND, CONDEMN TERRORISM

Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
October 22, 2012 Monday

PROVINCES, (SANA)- Members of the Syrian community in Brazil on Sunday
organized a solidarity stand to support their homeland, its leadership,
people and army in the face of terrorism.

The participants in the stand, which coincides with the “International
Campaign in Solidarity with Syria against Terrorism” stressed
commitment to their national unity against the heinous campaign led
by the US, the West and their allies in Turkey and some Arab countries.

They also condemned the acts of terrorism perpetrated by the armed
terrorist groups in Syria with the aim of undermining Syria’s
stability, unity and coexistence.

In a statement, they thanked the friendly countries for supporting
Syria in the face of the conspiracy hatched against it, calling on
the countries involved in supporting terrorism to stop their support
and to stop interfering in Syria’s internal affairs.

Syrian Ambassador in Brazil Mohammad Khadour stressed that Syria
will overcome terrorism , hailing the expatriates’ support to their
Homeland.

In the same context, the Syrian community in several Brazilian cities
expressed support to Syria in the face of the conspiracy hatched
against it, voicing commitment to national unity as the fortress in
face of the foreign and regional agendas and interference.

They also appreciated the role of the Syrian army in confronting
terrorism and in protecting Syria’s security and stability.

They also thanked the friendly countries that stand by Syria in the
international circles, particularly the Brazilian government in the
face of the conspiracy against it.

Syrian Students in Armenia, Bulgaria Reiterate Rejection of Foreign
Interference in Syria’s Affairs The Syrian students in Bulgaria and
Armenia reiterated their rejection of foreign meddling in the Syrian
internal affairs and solidarity with their homeland in the face of
the global imperialist and terrorist attack targeting it.

In a solidarity march carried out by the Syrian students in Armenia,
the participants stressed their standing by the leadership of
President Bashar al-Assad in confronting the imperialist conspiracy
against Syria.

The participants, raising national flags and pictures of President
al-Assad, highlighted their adherence to national unity and support
to the Syrian people and leadership in the face of the plot that aims
at undermining the national stances of Syria.

In Sofia, the National Union of Syrian Students ‘Bulgaria Branch’
organized, in cooperation with Arab communities and Bulgarian
organizations, a march in solidarity with the Syrian leadership
and people.

The participants chanted slogans saluting President al-Assad and the
Syrian army, stressing their rejection of foreign interference in
the Syrian internal affairs.

The march started from the Bulgarian capital’s downtown and headed for
the Presidential Palace, where the Bulgarian parties and organizations
participating in the event delivered speeches expressing their total
support to the Syrian government in the face of terrorism, denouncing
the policies of the Turkish PM, Recep Tayyib Erdogan in using the
Turkish lands as a platform to launch terrorist acts against Syria.

The speeches stressed that Bulgaria will never support the terrorists
and Jihadists who entered Syria from the Turkish lands with Erdogan’s
knowledge and support.

Syrian Students in Belarus Stress Support to Syria in Face of
Conspiracy The Syrian students and members of the Syrian community
in Belarus stressed their support to their homeland in the face of
the plot led by the west and supported by Arab and regional countries
against Syria.

In a sit-in in solidarity with Syria in the Belarusian capital, Minsk,
staged in front of the Syrian Embassy, the participants expressed
their support to the reform process led by President al-Assad,
denouncing the misleading media campaign against their country.

The participants expressed gratitude for the countries which supported
Syria, particularly Russia and China, voicing rejection to the
sanctions imposed by the European Union against the Syrian people.

H.

Zain/

MAN DIAGNOSED WITH ANTHRAX IN ARMENIA – HEALTH MINISTRY

Interfax
Oct 22 2012
Russia

A man has been diagnosed with anthrax in Armenia, the press service
for the Armenian Health Ministry told Interfax.

Reports on suspected anthrax came from the Vardenis district of the
Gegarkunin region, northern Armenia, where fifteen people have been
hospitalized.

“Anthrax was confirmed in one of the 15 people. Non-pathogenic anthrax
agents were found in nine people, and five people tested negative
for anthrax,” the ministry said.

The patients are now is fair condition and appear to be recovering,
the report says.

Biological material was taken at the site for tests, the report says.

ARTSAKH SOCCER TEAM BEATS ABKHAZIA 3-0

Monday, October 22nd, 2012

The Artsakh and Abkhazia teams prior to the match

STEPANAKERT-The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) National Soccer
team beat Abkhazia 3 to 0 in a friendly match played at the Stepenakert
Stadium, reported the Stepanakert-based Aparaj newspaper.

This was a second match between the two teams. The first took place
in September in Sukhumi and the game was tied 1 to 1.

The coach of the Abkhazia team, Djuma Kvartskhelia, said that during
the prior match, the teams played very well. “It is difficult to say
what the outcome will be today,” said Kvartskhelia. “Let’s hope that
the teams will display true sportsmanship and will play a good game.”

The game was attended by Artsakh’s President Bako Sahakian and other
high-level officials. Sahakian said that such sporting events are
important both as a means to advance the sport and also to bolster
relations between two friendly nations.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Athletic Club director Valery Avanessian said
the stadium, which was completely renovated in 2008, is equipped to
stage such games on a regular basis.

In September, the Artsakh soccer team became eligible to compete on
the international arena, according to a report by Lusine Musayelyan
for the RFE/RL Armenian Service.

The team’s coach Sarkis Aghajanyan said the Karabakh team will compete
within the Non-Recognized States’ Soccer Association, which was
established in 2003 in Liege, Belgium and works to organize friendly
matches between non-recognized states.

Spectators at the Artsakh-Abkhazia match at Stepanekert Stadium
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic joined Abkhazia, South Ossetia,
Trans-Dnester, Kosovo and Tibet in this year’s competitions.

“This is one of the major steps in our post-war reality. This is
our only chance to enter the international arena and stand under our
national flag with our national anthem. This is already a different
feeling,” said Aghajanyan referring to the Artsakh Team’s entry into
the League.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic soccer team is financed through the
state budget, which this year has an earmark of 70 million drams. This
amount, according to Aghajanyan, allows the team to not fall behind
on training. The team players are mainly 19- to 20-year old athletes,
who, according to the coach, lack experience.

Aghajanyan reassured, however, the people of Karabakh do not like
to lose.

“Although unrecognized, we now have a status that allows us to
compete in matches. The entire world and the UEFA will see this,”
said Aghajanyan.

Azerbaijan has impeded the participation of the Karabakh team in any
competition thus far, including one against Armenia’s national team.

Until now, the Karabakh soccer team was held hostage to Soviet
politics. In 1987, when the Karabakh movement had just started the
Kirovabad team lost to Stepanakert 3 to 1, following which clashes
took place between Armenian and Azeri team during subsequent matches.

As a result, the Soviet government mandated the Stepanakert team play
its home games in other Azeri regions.

ELECTIONS NEVER CHANGED POWER IN ARMENIA – ARF-D REP

tert.am
23.10.12

Speaking in Parliament, Armen Rustamyan, Chairman of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) parliamentary group,
made one more attempt to substantiate the necessity for a switch-over
to the proportional representation (PR) system in Armenia.

He stated that power has never changed in Armenia through elections
since the country gained independence.

“Everyone can recall the ‘consensus minus one’ situation in the former
parliament. Although not against the PR system in principle, MPs stated
they were not prepared for that and considered it wrong to change
the rules of the game on the threshold of elections,” Rustamyan said.

“And the previous parliamentary elections showed what rules they
followed and what disastrous consequences their change would have
had for the authorities,” Rustamyan said. The authorities would have
been honest if they had stated they could not afford to lose the
“forty-one bonus seats.”

Similar bills were proposed by the ARF-D, Heritage and Armenian
National Congress (ANC). The ARF-D group reports that the government
has rejected their draft amendments to Armenia’s election law.

IN COOPERATION WITH “SYRIAN AIRLINES” NEW HUMANITARIAN AID WILL BE SENT TO SYRIA SOON

ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 23, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPESS. Cargo for the 2nd stage of
humanitarian aid to Syria from “Help Your Brother” organization is
already ready. They will soon be transported to Syria. Cooperation
with “Syrian Airlines” is under discussion now for organizing the
flight via airspace of Iran and Iraq to avoid unnecessary costs
and searching in Turkey. In a conversation with “Armenpress” the
Chairman of National Foundation and member of Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutyun Lilit Galstyan said this adding that the
humanitarian aid weights more than 45 tons and their bank account is
still receiving new donations.

Lilit Galstyan said: “I must add that business circles also actively
participate in our arrangements. Few days ago we received 3000 boxes
of cans of vegetables forom Proshyan Brandy Factory. An important
contribution was made by Civilitas foundation in amount of AMD 3
million. We had financial contributions from our inelegancy as well:
Azat Gasparyan, Haghtanak Shahumyan, Andranik Harutyunyan.

Contribution of French-Armenian writer Movses Pchakchyan is also
noteworthy. He visited Armenia for presentation of his book and said
that he will grant us all the income he will receive for the book.

It’s important to mention that inside of us there is the moral resource
that helps us be united. As long as our Syrian-Armenian brothers are
in need it’s our duty to help them”. She added that they cannot be
indifferent to the Syrian-Armenians who settled in Armenia, who are
also listed to receive warm blankets and food.

Talking about the first humanitarian aid to Syria Lilit Galstyan
emphasized that special committee named “Emergency” was created to take
responsibility for organization of necessary works. It should be also
noted that the governor of Aleppo expressed his gratitude for the aid,
which was so necessary for the Syrians people in current situation.