Author: Babajanian Karo

States News Service
September 27, 2012 Thursday

STATEMENT ON THE CONCLUSION OF AN IMF STAFF MISSION TO ARMENIA

WASHINGTON

The following information was released by the International Monetary Fund:

An IMF mission led by Mark Horton visited Yerevan during September 518
to conduct discussions for the Fifth Review of the Extended Fund
Facility/Extended Credit Facility arrangements and the 2012 Article IV
consultations. After return to IMF headquarters, Mr. Horton made the
following statement:

Macroeconomic conditions have continued to improve over the past year.
With a positive harvest and dynamic mining and services sectors,
growth is expected to reach 6.2 percent in 2012 and to moderate to 4.3
percent in 2013, as the economy returns to trend and given conditions
in Europe and Russia. Inflation remains moderate, driven by the
agricultural rebound and a sound policy framework, and is expected to
remain within the target band (41.5 percent) of the Central Bank of
Armenia (CBA) during the rest of 2012 and in 2013.

Program performance remains broadly satisfactory. The fiscal balance
has continued to improve, with the deficit expected to decline to
about 2 percent of GDP in 2012, and to increase moderately to 2.6
percent next year as large capital projects are implemented.

The CBA has shown strengthened commitment to a flexible exchange rate
and the inflation-targeting regime. The CBA continues to improve its
monetary policy tools and its monitoring of risks, particularly those
associated with foreign currency lending. An external shock beginning
in the second quarter of 2012 led to sizeable intervention in the
foreign exchange market to prevent excessive volatility, and the
end-June performance criterion on reserves was missed. A waiver and
corrective actions will be needed to complete the Fifth Review.

Structural reforms are progressing, although at a
slower-than-desirable pace. A level playing field for all
businessesincluding in the key area of tax administrationwould be an
important breakthrough for the business environment. The mission looks
forward to the first results of the Regulatory Guillotine project,
which aims at substantially streamlining regulation and red-tape, and
to ongoing enforcement actions by the Competition Committee.

The mission reached preliminary agreement on a policy framework for
the rest of 2012 and 2013 that could form the basis for completion of
the review. The IMF Board is tentatively scheduled to consider the
review in early December. Upon approval, the IMF would disburse US$52
million, bringing total disbursements under the EFF/ECF to about
US$327 million.

The authorities expressed strong interest in a follow-up IMF
arrangement, after the current program concludes in mid-2013, and
possibly covering the next 3 years. They noted that a new program
would provide policy support for continued external and fiscal
adjustment, strengthened policy buffers and fiscal space, and
growth-enhancing structural reforms during a period of elevated
repayment of crisis-related assistance. Before discussions on a new
Fund program can begin, the IMF Board should consider the findings of
an Ex Post Assessment (EPA) of Fund programs since 2005, when the last
EPA was completed. The findings of the EPA, now under preparation,
will also help guide design of the new program.

The mission met with Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Minister of
Finance Vache Gabrielyan, Central Bank Governor Arthur Javadyan,
Minister of Economy Tigran Davtyan, Minister of Energy and Natural
Resources Armen Movsisyan, Minister of Transport Gagik Beglaryan, as
well as senior government officials, representatives of the
international community, the banking and business sectors, and civil
society. The mission would like to thank the authorities and other
Armenian representatives for their warmth and hospitality.

Syrian-Armenians can study on Syrian programs in Armenian schools

news.am
September 28, 2012 | 18:38

YEREVAN. – The middle school No 14 in Yerevan will be transformed into
an education school with Syrian programs for the Syrian-Armenian
children, with the support of the Yerevan city hall, Armenian Ministry
of Education and Science, Armenian Ministry of Diaspora, as well as
sponsored by the Cilicia philanthropic union.

The engagement of the Syrian-Armenian schoolchildren will be held on
Oct. 2 to 3, while classes will start on Oct. 8, city hall press
service informs.

Students will study the Armenian (Eastern) language and history overtime.

Excerpt from “Nowhere: a Story of Exile”
by Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte

Published: Friday September 28, 2012

The young Anya with her dad Norik in Baku. Courtesy image

What follows is an exceprt from “Nowhere, a story of exile”:

“The demonstrations that started at the end of the summer were not the
last ones. We saw them more frequently, thousands of people rushing
and screaming. Our street was the main street that led to Lenin
Square, where the government buildings were located. The
demonstrators were Azeri who wanted us out of the country and demanded
that Armenia stops claiming Nagorno-Karabakh as historically Armenian
land.

The demonstrations worsened with time. They grew bigger and louder.
The beginning of the school year of 1988-1989 was confusing for
everyone. I was a fifth grader now but I was not thinking about school
even though I functioned, automatically memorizing poems, formulas and
English vocabulary.

Things were uncertain and unpredictable and that fall Mama didn’t let
me go out of the patio to climb the olive trees on our street. The
olives were for pickling and we gathered them together with Vilya
yearly. Mama reasoned that it would attract too much attention to the
building and to me. The school didn’t send the students on olive
picking field trips either. The olive trees on the street were filled
with ripe olives which we could only look at through our window and
not touch.

Through the social webs and contacts information leaked into the
households of Armenians that in November there were pogroms and
atrocities committed against Armenian citizens in Kirovabad, a distant
city, second largest in Azerbaijan. Elderly, men and women, killed,
raped, maimed. We covered our mouths in disbelief. Nothing was
reported on the news. As the day went by Mama brushed it off as a
non-story, something that would never happen in Baku, which was filled
with intellectuals and internationalists.

On a certain December 1988 afternoon, everyone was at home when I
returned from school. The events that transpired erased all
recollection of having been to school that day. That day’s
demonstrations were the worst we had ever seen.

We are gathered in my Grandma’s apartment, all of us, Mama, Papa,
Misha, Grandma and me. We have locked the door from inside, and sit,
waiting, with all windows closed and shuttered. We turn the lights
off. Papa tells Misha and me to speak in whispers. Papa takes all of
the knives out of the kitchen drawers and sets them in a pile in front
of him at the dining room table, prepared for the worst. He keeps
saying, repeatedly, “If they break in, I will take a few of them with
me to the other world.”

We are afraid to talk aloud. We whisper if we have to, but rarely.
Mama is holding Misha on her lap on the sofa, her face buried in his
blonde curls and Grandma is sitting on the chair looking at her
wrinkly hands which rest on her old-fashioned cotton dress. Through
the unfortunate cracks in the blinds, we see people rushing down the
street with green flags. There are so many of them their shoulders
brush against the walls of our building. We see a few black flags,
which mean “death” and “vengeance,” hand-made in a hurry. The
demonstrators run and rush against and past our building. There is
shouting, chanting and screaming in Azeri.

As I sneak a look in the crack in the shutters, I see a man in a black
coat. He is in front of the crowd, walking backward, shouting
something. From that distance, we cannot understand what he is
saying, though his voice is loud and he addresses the crowd in Azeri.
It seems that he is trying to stop them. But they only yell louder
and rush forth, almost as if to tell the man in black that they will
not listen to him. Sure enough, they shove him aside and a few
demonstrators enter the patio of the apartment building right next to
ours. They yell for Armenians to come out. This building is
well-known for housing Armenians who have lived there for several
generations. A few of them were mixed families – Azeri, Russian and
Armenian. Papa shoves me away from the window.

The demonstrators yell and scream. When no one lets them in, they
start hurling rocks at the windows. We hear crashing and muffled
commotion and yelling. Suddenly they appear back on the street and
rush ahead toward the Lenin Square, looking for excitement elsewhere.
They appear to miss our building. It is too close to the railroad and
is out of sight. The gates to the patio are shielded by bushes and
trees. Later, we learn that Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians are trying to
secede from Azerbaijan and rejoin Armenia.”

Armenia’s ex-FM honest – journalist

tert.am
16:51 – 28.09.12

Vartan Oskanian, now an MP of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), was
Armenia’s FM for ten years and was an honest official, Hakob
Avetikyan, Armenia-based leader of the Armenian Democratic Liberal
Party Ramgavar and Editor-in-Chief of the Azg daily, told journalists
on Friday.

The charges of money laundering by means of the Civilitas Foundation
arouse numerous doubts.

`He was the most modest official and visited any place without any
bodyguards,’ Avetikyan said.

According to him, the Civilitas Foundation case involves inaccurate
accounting reports.

`All this smells of reprisals,’ Avetikyan added.

Armenian family killed in Aleppo bomb blasts

September 28, 2012 – 17:20 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On September 26, besides the two victims reported
earlier, a Syrian-Armenian Maria Aghazarian, her Arab Christian
husband Raymun Fahman and their ten-year-old daughter died in Aleppo
blasts on September 26, the founder of `Outreach to Syrian Armenians’
Facebook page said.

As Anahit Adamyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter citing Aleppo-based
Serop Jahukian, an Armenian Zarmig Najarian was reported among those
wounded, currently under doctors’ care.

Two blasts exploded in Aleppo on September 26, claiming many lives.

Armenia’s natural resources must be used for public benefit – expert

tert.am
15:34 – 28.09.12

Armenia’s independence implied the use of national resources to the
people’s benefit. However, this program is not being implemented now,
Armen Saghatelyan of the Center for Ecological Noosphere Studies,
Armenian National Academy of Sciences, said at a discussion on social
responsibility in mining industry.

`We do not know what benefit the state gets from the mining industry.
When the reserves are used up what are they going to have? Barren soil
and sick population,’ he said.

In this context, Saghatelyan pointed out the need for amending
Armenia’s relevant laws.

Gor Alexanyan, a Council member, For Sustainable Human Development
NGO, noted that mine operation affects both humans and the
environment.

`All this eventually affects the Armenians’ gene pool,’ he added.

Vahram Avagyan, Spokesman for Vallex Group Companies, noted that not
only companies, but also environmentalists and journalists should bear
social responsibility.

`Companies’ social responsibility is always in question. However,
environmentalists sometimes inaccurate statements, while journalists
fail to verify the facts,’ he said.

With respect to Vallex Group Companies, Mr Aivazyan noted that the
company is considering all the problems.

Armenian PM partook in CIS regular meeting at the level of Heads of Government

12:25, 28 September, 2012

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS: The delegation headed by Armenian
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan partook at Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) Council regular session at the level of the heads of
the Government . More than two dozen issues were included in the
agenda. As information and public relations department of the
Government told Armenpress, the heads of the Government have approved
information society establishment and development Action Plan by
2015. The participants have envisaged the cooperation perspectives in
the field of communication with CIS countries.

2012-2014 innovation measures complex program of CIS member-states
was adopted .The heads of the Government have favored Uzbekistan Free
Trade Agreement, which is scheduled to end by the end of the year. A
joint statement was signed that five states , Armenia inclusive have
ratified free trade zone agreement. PM Sargsyan has also took part in
the conference entitled “Investment opportunities and economic
cooperation within the CIS” within the frame of ”Yalta business
meetings” Business Conference.

The delegation of the Government comprised Government Staff head David
Sargsyan, Minister of Finance Vache Gabrielyan, First Deputy Minister
of Economy Karine Minasyan, Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian
and other officials.

Oskanian: No Euro 1 bn donation before presidential race, EU rep. says

September 28, 2012 – 13:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia shouldn’t keep up hopes for a donation of
Euro 1 billion to be granted following the donor conference before the
end of presidential elections, according to European Commissioner for
Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy.

`As Stefan Fule stated at the meeting with the representatives of
parliamentary groups, the fate of the donation will be determined by
the quality of election procedures,’ Prosperous Armenia party leader,
ex-foreign minister Vartan Oskanian said in his Facebook post.

`Fule was skeptical over the possibility for Armenia to sign an
association agreement with the EU before the end of 2013, calling
current effort for implementation of reforms unsatisfactory’ Oskanian
said.

`The leadership can sacrifice the future of Armenia, were the reforms
required to sign the deal prevent them from retaining their power,’
Oskanian said.

In conclusion, Oskanian stressed the contrast between the
pro-governmental media coverage and actual results of Fule’s meeting
with the members of factions.

European legislators moved by finnacial interests are prone to defend
the stance of the Azerbaijan: Ana Maria Gomes

11:32, 28 September, 2012

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS: Many international organizations
have expressed their concern and criticism over criminal Ramil
Safarov extradition to Azerbaijan. European Parliament Member Ana
Maria Gomes joined the statements and commentaries. Armenpress had an
exclusive interview with MEP Ana Maria Gomes on ”Safarov” scandal
and the resolution adopted by European Parliament.

-Mrs Gomes, after the resolution on Safarov’s case, what are the next
steps to be taken by the EU as a whole and the European Parliament
(EP) in particular? Or do you believe the resolution was a final say
of the EP?

-We need to be aware of the very fragile situation surrounding NK and
the possibility of “defrosting of the frozen conflict”. The statements
from all sides were very unhelpful and showed that the situation is
very tense. Obviously, the Parliament can not be satisfied only with
the passed resolution on Safarov’s case, where many believed this was
not necessarily about human rights. I believe we in the EP must be
more attentive to the security situation and its implications and
should put efforts towards rebuilding “human ties” that will prevent
the escalation into war.

-It became known that your party did not want to participate in the
adoption of the resolution and that ALDE refused to vote. Could you
please elaborate on that?

-My Group wanted a full debate in the presence of HR/VP Ashton on the
pardon of Safarov by the Azerbaijani government and the implications
of this step to an already fragile and tense security situation in the
region. Such a debate would have put the situation right at the center
of the EU foreign policy agenda. However, the EPP, the Greens and ALDE
wanted to treat it only as a human rights issue,a much more modest
approach. Still, when this decision was reached by the majority in the
EP, we participated constructively. We prepared our own draft
resolution, which was very critical of the actions of the Hungarian
government and condemned the pardon granted to Safarov by the
president Aliyev of Azerbaijan. The EPP, however, wanted to exclude
from the resolution any language that was critical of the Hungarian
government, since it belongs to the same political family. In the end
they succeeded in doing that by rejecting our amendment that was
critical with Hungary. I don´t know exactly what reasons prompted
ALDE to withdraw from the resolution. But what I know is that there
are people here in the Parliament who are normally very prone to
defending the stance of the Azerbaijani government.

-The lobby groups are very active in the EP and bring “polarization”
to the institution. There is also a growing Azerbaijani lobby. Do you
see a possibility of reaching and showing a more balanced approach
within the EP?

-I do not belong to any of these camps, I belong to the camp of human
rights, the rule of law and human security which is a very important
camp and one that should prevail in the EP. I see these sympathetic
camps being very vocal, because there is much money involved . See the
example, the case of Safarov, where strong suspicions exist that
indeed a bail out of 2-3 billion euros was promised to Orban’s
government.

There are some who are concerned with security elements, but in a
narrow perspective, focusing only in the a security of energy supply
to the EU, which tends to make them particularly receptive to the
points of view of the Azerbaijani government. Moreover, I do imagine
that some people may be moved by some kind of financial interests

Though my Group wanted a full debate and resolution with HR/VP Ashton
on all the implications of this case for the regional security, and
not just a human rights resolution, we decided to join the majority,
since we felt there was a need to express our dismay at the action of
both Hungarian and Azeri authorities endorsing this act of inciting
ethnic hatred, that obviously should be punished. Furthermore, a
number of destabilising comments were made in reference to NK, which
could not be left without issuing our opinion on that. We wanted to be
constructive and help the parties to tone down acrimony and
eventually, ideally, go back to a negotiating stance. This requires a
lot of engagement and involvement. We urged the EEAS to make whatever
is necessary to defuse the tension, to help both sides and also the
Minsk Group not to lose their efforts. I can assure you, we are
closely following the situation.

USA
Taner Akcam a publié un nouveau livre sur le génocide arménien

Taner Akcam a publié un nouveau le livre intitulé « The Young Turks’
Crime Against Humanity : The Armenian Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in
the Ottoman Empire (Princeton University Press, 2012) dans lequel il y
a de nouvelles informations sur le génocide arménien.

À la présentation du livre Taner Akcam a déclaré que le livre comprend
de nouveaux documents Ottomans et que des parallèles ont été faits
avec des documents des archives de divers pays.

Selon Taner Akcam les Jeunes Turcs avaient décidé d’exécuter le
Génocide Arménien avant la Première guerre mondiale. D’abord ils ont
réalisé le programme contre les grecs en 1914 ce qui les a radicalisé
dans le cas des arméniens.

Taner Akcam a aussi parlé dans son livre de la politique
d’assimilation des Jeunes Turcs contre les arméniens. Il a mentionné
que les Turcs ont exécuté des programmes en plusieurs étapes : les
jeunes filles arméniennes étaient mariées avec des musulmans afin de
les convertir à l’Islam

vendredi 28 septembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com