Author: Babajanian Karo

GAS WORKERS FROM ARMENIA FIND JOBS IN JAVAKHK
Kristine Aghalaryan

hetq
00:29, August 30, 2012

75 year-old Felix Igityan was the first to come from Armenia to
explore job possibilities in the Javakhk.

Igityan made his way to the Akhalkalak village of Ghadolar because
he had heard that there was work to be had installing a natural gas
distribution system. He soon told his former work brigade buddies to
join him.

“Hey, we’re Armenians but Javakhk is losing its Armenian residents.

They are leaving because many communities have no gas. People have
to burn dung to cook and warm their homes in the winter. No wonder
they are leaving where conditions are better,” explains Igityan, who
adds that he and his friends are doing their bit to keep Armenians
in Javakhk.

Extensive gas works are now being undertaken in a number of area
villages. The Georgian government plans to supply gas to all of
Javakhk by the end of 2013.

The contractor carrying out the work in Akhalkalak and Ninotsminda
is the Samtskhe-Javakheti Gas Company owned by the Sanosyan’s. The
company’s executive director is Aram Sanosyan, brother of Armenian
MP Hayk Sanosyan.

The company has already finished work in 15 of the 64 Akhalkalak
district villages.

Four work brigades, about 15 men in all, from Armenia are installing
gas in the villages of Tourtskh and Ghadolar.

I tell them that people from Javakhk usually travel to Armenia or
Russia to find work.

“So what are you guys doing in Javakhk?” I ask them. Stepan Sargsyan,
from the village of Shahoumyan in Armenia says that not just anyone
can perform this specialized kind of work dealing with gas.

All the workers I met in Javakhk have years of experience under
the belt.

The men complained that salaries in Georgia are less than in Armenia
but that nowadays gas installation jobs are much more plentiful in
Armenia’s northern neighbour.

The work crew has taken over an abandoned house in the village and
make ends meet the best they can.

As you can see from the photos, the men wash and shave in the open
alleyway outside the house.

Levon Petrosyan, one of the gas workers, compares the village to
those in Armenia back in the 1960s. “This place reminds me of being
in Karabakh,” he jokes.

Felix Igityan was in this very village back in the early 1980s and
says that the only change he can see is the road from Akhalkalak to
Aragva has been paved.

“There used to be 595 families in the village of Tourtskh were we
are now working. Now there are only 190 residents left. The rest have
left. Some really nice houses have been turned into cattle sheds. You
need people to maintain the land and for the place to prosper,”
laments Igityan.

The workers tell me that residents of Javakhk villages only pay for
electricity and neither for drinking or irrigation water. Neither do
they pay land tax.

Mikayel Mikayelyan argues that the Georgian tax system has its good and
bad points. On the plus side is the fact that rural residents aren’t
burdened with land and water taxes. The negative is that there are
no organized rural municipalities to mange local issues. Such local
governance bodies need to finance their own budgets, which they can’t.

The guys argue that a combination of factors can ultimately lead to
Armenians leaving Javakhk for good.

“One day, mark my word, you’ll see that the Turks and Georgians have
moved in,” says Mikayelyan.

For now, however, the men have about another two weeks of work in
Ghadolar and Tourtskh.

They don’t know for sure if they’ll be moving on to other area villages
afterwards. If they do, they tell me that their first priority will
be finding a place with a working shower.

LE MUSEE DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN ET LE MUSEE DE L’HOLOCAUSTE VONT COOPERER
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 30 aout 2012

L’institut-musee du Genocide armenien d’Erevan et le Musee de
l’Holocauste de Jerusalem ont l’intention d’etablir une cooperation
a declare le Ministre israelien de l’Information et de la Diaspora.

” J’ai offert a l’administration de l’Institut-musee du Genocide
armenine de cooperer avec le Musee de l’Holocauste de Yad Vashem a
Jerusalem. Nos deux nations sont devenues les victimes d’un crime
horrible contre l’humanite. Je pense que les deux etablissements
coopereront tout a fait efficacement en terme de choix d’expositions
et d’organisation de pavillons ” a dit Yuli Edelstein lors d’une
conference de presse.

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: SPARTAK GHUKASYAN GIVEN OPPORTUNITY TO FLEE?

Panorama.am
31/08/2012

Spartak Ghukasyan, the son of Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan, has
fled abroad, said Karen Babakekhyan, chief of Shirak region’s police,
according to Haykakan Zhamanak.

The paper reminds that Spartak Ghukasyan is suspected of involvement in
a recent crossfire incident in Gyumri. The incident took place early
in the August 25 morning, while police “learned” of it on August 28,
after Haykakan Zhamanak reported about the incident.

Thus Spartak Ghukasyan had 3-4 days to leave the country without
haste. It’s hard to believe that police were not aware of the incident
in the second-largest city in the country. It’s more likely that they
knew it but “gave him time” to flee, to launch active operations for
“investigating the case” only after he had fled.

“GAZPROMBANK” INTENDS TO EXPAND ITS ACTIVITY IN ARMENIA

armradio.am
31.08.2012 13:07

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received the delegation headed by
Nikolay Korenev, Vice-President of the “Gazprombank” OJSC. Greeting
the guests, the Prime Minister noted: “We hope that such meetings
will contribute to the deepening of bilateral cooperation and the
development of joint programs in the banking sphere.”

Igor Korenev informed that “Gazprombank” intends to expand its activity
in our country. PM Tigran Sargsyan said, in turn, it will contribute
to the growth of competitiveness in the Armenian banking system and
will enhance the development of the sphere.

The interlocutors referred to the directions of bilateral cooperation,
particularly the Armenian-Russian commercial programs worked out by
the Armenian-Russian Inter-Governemntal Commission, the perspectives
of development of Yerevan’s “Nairit” chemical plant and the works in
that direction.

Tigran Sargsyan and Igor Korenev discussed issues related to the
programs implemented within the framework of the Armenian-Russian
inter-regional forum and the possible involvement of “Gazprombank”
in the activities.

CCAF HEAD: TURKISH THREATS AGAINST FRANCE INADMISSIBLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 31, 2012 – 13:48 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Turkey’s EU Minister Egemen Baðýþ’ response to
France’s decision to include a chapter about the Armenian Genocide
in secondary school textbooks proves Turkish government’s intention
to continue denial policy, head of Co-ordination Council of Armenian
Organizations of France (CCAF) said.

As Mourad Papazian told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, Turkey will
run counter to France at international level, if President Francois
Hollande signs the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial.

“Turkish threats against France are unacceptable. We take steps that
will counter mean tricks to deny the Genocide. We launch campaigns to
unmask Turkey, which perpetrated the arrest of hundreds of journalists,
lawyers, trade unionists and students. Truth will win in the end,”
Mr. Papazian said.

Official Ankara has voiced a “strong protest” against France’s decision
to include a chapter about the Armenian Genocide in secondary school
textbooks.

Turkey’s EU Minister and chief negotiator Egemen Baðýþ has urged Paris
“against testing bilateral relations once again”.

“I call on the French authorities to intensify efforts in resolving
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the framework of OSCE Minsk Group
rather than distort the historical facts,” he said.

He also urged the French authorities to “face own history rather than
check-up fictitious facts.”

According to earlier Turkish media reports, the French Education
Ministry has decided to include chapters about the Genocide in history
and geography textbooks by order of President Hollande.

On January 23, 2012, the French Senate passed the bill making it a
crime to deny the Armenian Genocide. The bill envisaged imposing a
45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies
this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.

Later, the French Constitutional Council ruled that the bill as
anti-constitutional. In a statement the Council said the document
represented an “unconstitutional breach of the practice of freedom
of expression and communication.”

After election, President Holande pledged to introduce a similar bill
that would go in line with the country’s constitution.

Turkish Education Ministry officials said they will first need to
examine the book and see if it “includes phrases that incriminate
Turkey and they will respond in line with international law through
diplomatic channels.”

Public attitude toward people with mental problems changes, specialist says

tert.am
31.08.12

Public attitude toward people with mental problems has noticeably
changed, chairman of the Armenian Psychiatric Association Armen
Soghoyan told the reporters on Friday.

Soghoyan, who is also honorary member of World Psychiatric
Association, stressed that all mental problmes are being solved.

“Though there is a certain attitude toward people with mental issues,
there are serious positive changes during the past 20 years,” he said.

Soghoyan stressed the number of people making use of psychiatric
services has comparatively increased but there are still people who do
not apply to doctor.

Head of Psychology chair of Yerevan State Medical University Khachatur
Gasparyan said when people feel pain in kidney, or have cardiovascular
issues they apply to doctors while in case of mental diseases they do
not.

August 29-31, 2013 Yerevan will be declared center of presentation of
world psychiatric achievements.

ARMENIA’S FIRST PRESIDENT SUES REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA?

tert.am
31.08.12

Political scientist Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan has written on his
Facebook wall that first president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan
has filed a lawsuit against Republic of Armenia.

“Levon Ter-Petrosyan wants money from our country for staying at home
for few days and calls it as home arrest,” the political scientist
wrote.

Tert.am has been trying to check the information while neither of
Armenian National Congress representatives answers the phone calls.

SYRIAN ARMENIAN FIRST CHILD WAS BORN IN ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
31 August, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS: 35 years old Syrian Armenian Alin
Jambosyan gave a birth to a son in Shengavit medical center of
Yerevan. This is the first birth in Syrian Armenians families which
came to Armenia because of tensioned political situation in Syria.

Armenpress was informed from press service of Armenian ministry of
Diaspora that Minister Hranush Hakobyan will visit the mother and
newly born children today.

The Healthcare ministry of Armenia according to the assignment of
Minster Derenik Dumanyan takes care of health of Syrian Armenians
beginning from the airport.

In result of clashes between opposition and Governmental forces in
Syria more than ten Armenians have died and two of them were soldiers
of Syrian Army. During the last period representatives of Armenian
community of Syria also began to leave the country. The applications
submitted from Syria by our compatriots are being envisaged by
accelerated procedure, at least within ten days. 41 families consisting
of 76 members have applied to migration service of Armenia in order to
get habitation and already 27 families have got temporary habitations.

ARMENIAN WEIGHTLIFTER CROWNED EUROPEAN YOUTH CHAMPION

news.am
August 30

Armenia’s representative Zhorzh Yeghikyan won gold medal, in the
boy’s 62 kilogram category, at the European Under-17 Weightlifting
Championships being held in Romania, polska-sztanga.pl informs.

Yeghikyan lifted a total of 251 kilograms and was crowned European
champion. Armenia’s athlete snatched not too exceptional 113 kilograms,
but he lifted an unrivaled 138 kilograms in the clean and jerk.

Georgia’s representative, who came in second, lifted a total of 249
kilograms (117 kg+132 kg), and the third-place-winning Bulgarian
athlete lifted a total of 246 kilograms (113 kg+133 kg).

A CAMP AT PROSHYAN VILLAGE
BY CATHERINE YESYAN

Wednesday, August 29th, 2012

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of being at the opening ceremony
of a day-camp at Proshyan village about 12 km outside of Yerevan. We
arrived at around 11:30 a.m. at the village. Our driver took us
directly to the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) center where boys
and girls were playing in front of the two story building.

This was the second year that AYF Youth Corps had put together a
week-long day-camp for kids ages 6 to 15 at the village. The camp was
in the memory of Karot Mkrtchian, a Proshyan son, who had sacrificed
his life in the war 20 years ago.

Kevork Parseghian, the director of the center, welcomed us and told
us we were right on time. They were just about to start the opening
ceremony by taking the kids to the main square of the village where
Karot’s bust was erected.

The leaders and counselors of the camp gathered the kids in rows
according to their heights and together we all proceeded on foot
towards the square which was right at the corner.

Just before entering the square, I had a chance to chat with Nareh
Kupelian, one of the camp counselors. She explained that all 14
counselors, between the ages of 20 to 27, were college graduates from
the United States and had come to Armenia as volunteers for AYF youth
corps program to help coordinate day camps in villages throughout
Armenia and Artsakh.

The group had arrived a month earlier from the US and had already
organized two-week long day camps in four different villages. This was
the last camp that they were going to coordinate. Before assembling
all in Proshyan they worked in groups of seven.

As we entered the square I was pleasantly surprised to see how
tastefully it was landscaped, with a lawn in the center and white rose
bushes surrounding it. Karot’s bust was visibly placed in the middle

The campers line up at AYF Youth Corps camp

With the kids lining up in front of Karot’s bust, the counselors
began to recite patriotic passages to heighten the energy level
and encourage the kids to respond.  Watching the scene, with the
colorful flags waving in the background and kids chanting, stirred
up my patriotic emotions.

The kids each received a long-stemmed white carnation, to place at
the foot of Karot’s monument.  But before flower dedication, they
sang the Armenian National anthem, which integrates the theme of
sacrificing one’s life to free the homeland.

We all grew up with the reverberation of the words of our national
anthem, but the meaning of the words had never been so striking to
me than at that moment when I stood there in Proshyan square at the
foot of Karot’s bust, and listened to the kids sing in Armenian:
“Everywhere death is the same.  Everyone dies only ones.  But lucky
is the one who is sacrificed for his nation.”

Karot is one of an estimated 4000 soldiers missing in action.  The
last time Karot was seen was June 13, 1992, when he was fighting in
mountains of Artsakh at the age of 28.  Karot was the commander of
his troop and his friends and subordinates remember that he refused
to retreat in that intense fight in the mountains…  Nobody has
heard from him since then.

Every year on June 13, Proshyan village comes together to remember
him and to make sure he is not forgotten, hoping that one day he will
return.  He, alongside other Karots, sacrificed his life to fulfill
our dream of a unified Armenia and Artsakh.

I should admit that I was very impressed by the whole affair.  I had
not expected to see such an orderly procession and such neat buildings
and landscaping in a village.  Later, I learned that Armenians from
the Diaspora have been responsible for rejuvenating the village.

The building that houses AYF has been there since the Soviet time. 
The two-story center was renovated recently and has a gym/recreation
room with showers.  The center provides weight lifting, boxing and
marshal arts training as well as a folk dance classes.

It was gratifying to see how the Proshyan AYF center, under the
tutelage of Parseghian, is working hard to build future leaders with
strong patriotic dispositions.  Parseghian has moved from Pasadena,
California to live in Armenia to fulfill his father’s dream who was
an Armenian Genocide survivor.

I’m so glad I had the pleasure of being there and meeting the leaders,
who work day and night for the Armenian cause.  This was another
layer of our homeland that I was not aware.

Catherine Yesayan is a contributor to Asbarez. You may reach her at
[email protected] or read her stories on her blog