Author: Babajanian Karo

Arif Mammadov: “Armenia Attempts To Violate The International Legal Norms In The Process Concerning The Khankendi Airport”

APA
Aug 7 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Parvin Abbasov – APA. “Indeed Armenia attempts to violate the
international legal norms in the process concerning the Khankendi
airport”, director of the State Civil Aviation Administration Arif
Mammadov said in his interview to YAP’s website, APA reports.

According to him, in a recent statement, the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs expressed their opinions on the Khankendi airport:
“Azerbaijan’s state officials, politicians also expressed opinion on
this statement. The common opinion is that the co-chairs are not able
to solve this issue. The opinions of the co-chairs on this problem
is enough contradictory and illogical in some moments. They say that
activity of the Khankendi airport must not be politicized. This is
wrong approach. In general, activity of this airport is impossible.

Namely the airport can’t function by itself. If the plane gets off the
ground, it must land in another airport and use the air space for it.

The air space belongs to Azerbaijan”.

Arif Mammadov said that Azerbaijan prohibited the use of
above-mentioned airspace by civil airplanes: “We can’t control it and
nobody can guarantee the security of flights. That’s why we declared
the airport closed in accordance with the international air navigation
rules. The International Civil Aviation Organization accepted our
decision. If Armenians illegally enters to Azerbaijan’s air space,
it will be a violation of international rules. Azerbaijan declared
that six international airports are functioning in its territory
and if the plane gets off the ground from another place, it will be
considered as violation of our air space”.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF AZERBAIJAN: “SPEECHES OF SOME US POLITICIANS DON’T REFLECT THIS COUNTRY’S OFFICIAL POSITION”

APA
Aug 7 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Anakhanum Hidayatova-APA. “The speeches of some US politicians
don’t reflect the official position of the USA.

The US, like the other world countries, supports the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan and recognizes the occupied territory as
an integral part of Azerbaijan”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Azerbaijan told APA. Commenting on the adoption of appeal of the
House of Representatives of Massachusetts State to US President and
the Congress on support for recognition of self-determination right of
so-called “Nagorno Karabakh Republic”, the Ministry’s representatives
said that the authors of this initiative aim to build careers for
themselves on account of financial means of Armenian Diaspora:
“This approach reflects position not of the US state, but politicians.

The draft resolution prepared by member of the House of Representatives
Jonathan Hecht presents the separatist regime functioning in
Azerbaijan’s territories occupied by Armenia as “democratic
establishment” and underlines “the necessity of state support for
the struggle of people of Nagorno Karabakh for self-determination”.

GUL’S ADVISOR SAYS PRESIDENT MAY RUN FOR SECOND TERM IN OFFICE

Cihan News Agency (CNA)
July 30, 2012 Monday
Turkey

ISTANBUL (CIHAN)- Presidency Press Secretary Ahmet Sever, who is also
President Abdullah Gul’s press and public relations advisor, has said
the president may run for a second term in office in the presidential
elections scheduled for 2014 as he is eligible for re-election.

“My personal view is that Mr. Gul may run for the presidency again.

The Constitutional Court ruled that he is eligible for a second term
in office. So, why not announce his candidacy for a new term? The
decision is up to him; he may be upset with me for expressing my point
of view in this way. But it is unfair that some people are fostering
the feeling that he is about to complete his tenure and should get
out of the way,” Sever stated in an interview with the Vatan daily.

The press secretary’s comments targeted some members of the Justice and
Development Party (AK Party). When the Constitutional Court rejected in
June an appeal filed by the main opposition Republican People’s Party
(CHP) requesting the annulment of a law limiting the presidential term
to seven years for incumbent Gul and said the president is eligible
to run for another term, some AK Party members said Gul is unlikely
to announce that he will run in the 2014 presidential elections.

According to Sever, such statements by Cabinet members upset the
president. “The president had taken care not to appear to be in
conflict … with the prime minister. And he is still doing so. But
it was not nice to see that some prominent figures of the party did
not show the same concern,” he added.

There is growing public and political expectation that Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan will run for the presidency in the 2014 elections
and that he will make it to the Cankaya presidential palace. The
prime minister has never made an implicit statement to this end,
but has made indirect remarks to this effect on various occasions.

Sever also complained that several polling companies have cultivated
an atmosphere that is against a second term in office for President
Gul. “A number of opinion polls have been published in the newspapers.

One of them, for example, shows several possible candidates,
and Gul is the only candidate who does not receive even a single
vote from participants in the poll. How can this be? It is really
thought-provoking,” he said.

Ever since he was elected to the presidency in 2007, Gul, a former
prime minister and foreign minister, has been working hard to reach
out to all segments of society and to open the doors of the Cankaya
presidential palace to the public. A mild and soft-spoken leader, Gul
also assumes a mediating role among political parties, helping them
reach consensus on national issues on which they are in disagreement.

In response to a question over rumors that the president is planning
to vie for the leadership of an international organization such as
the United Nations, Sever said: “This is an assumption by other people.

Mr. Gul has never expressed such a desire or plan. Everyone is
wondering about what he will do in the future. They want to know if
he will run for the presidency again or not. But the president does
not speak about this. He does not give the smallest clue. He prefers
to keep silent. He only says he will deal with the issue when the
time comes.”

The press secretary also recalled the hard times Gul went through
during his presidential election bid in 2007. He said the president
was threatened with a military coup if he insisted on running for the
presidency. “But Mr. Gul did not pay heed to the threats. He said he
had set his heart on the [presidential] bid and refused to back down,”
he added.

After the AK Party announced Gul as the presidential candidate in 2007,
Gul became the center of a heated controversy because his wife wears
the Islamic headscarf, which Turkey’s elitist circles believe runs
contrary to the country’s secularist nature. Shortly afterwards,
the General Staff published a sharply worded statement which said
the military was following the debate over secularism with “concern”
and would “openly display its position and attitude when it becomes
necessary.” The CHP threatened to walk out of Parliament if the AK
Party presidential nominee’s spouse continued to wear the headscarf.

Shortly after, a former prosecutor put forward an idea based on his
interpretation of the Constitution, claiming the parliamentary quorum
for a presidential election was 367. The AK Party held 361 seats
in Parliament and Gul received 361 votes from his party’s deputies
in the first round of voting. Gul’s election to the presidential
seat was annulled, and the elections were re-held after the general
elections in the same year in which the AK Party returned to power
with 47 percent of the national vote. The governing party passed a
constitutional package which said the president would be elected in
a public referendum. A referendum was held, and Gul was elected as
Turkey’s 11th president.

Sever also said the president did not wish to engage in any controversy
with any person or political party, even though he has been subjected
to injustices several times during his tenure. He also added that
Gul is saddened to see that two major initiatives undertaken by the
AK Party government, solving Turkey’s long-standing Kurdish question
and thawing the ice between Turkey and Armenia, have not yet yielded
results.

According to Sever, Gul paid several visits to several of Turkey’s
predominantly Kurdish provinces and Yerevan in an attempt to display
his support for the government’s initiatives. “Mr. Gul had said
conditions were favorable for the solution of the Kurdish and Armenian
questions, but the initiatives were discontinued, which really upset
the president,” Sever stated.

Sever’s remarks about a possible run for president by Gul in the 2014
elections became a hot topic of debate on social networking websites
in Turkey on Monday. Some Twitter users suggested that one sign of
Gul’s possible candidacy is an open indication of a rift between the
president and the prime minister.

Others claimed that Gul was upset by Erdogan’s decision to merge Numan
Kurtulmus’s Voice of the People Party (HAS Party) with the AK Party,
believing that he may not be as strong as he hopes in the party if
he returns to active politics after leaving the post of president.

AK Party Deputy Chairman Huseyin Celik responded to the claims with
tweets in which he ruled out a rift between Gul and Erdogan. “There
is a deep friendship and bond of brotherhood between Mr. Gul and
Erdogan which cannot be given up for [political] seats or prestige,”
read one of his tweets. When speaking to journalists, Celik also said
he did not think Gul would announce his candidacy if Erdogan publicly
declares that he is planning to run for president. He said the prime
minister had “made sacrifices” for Gul in the past, and the president
should “respond to the gesture in kind.”

THREE DIVINE RELIGIONS’ REPRESENTATIVES AT FAST-BREAKING MEAL

Anadolu Agency (AA)
August 2, 2012 Thursday
Turkey

Muftu of Hatay said that it does not matter for them to be Christian,
Jewish, Alewi or Sunni. He said that they all live together in peace
and friendship in Hatay.

HATAY (AA) – August 2, 2012 – Three divine religions’ representatives
came together at a fast-breaking meal in southern province of Hatay
on Wednesday.

Speaking at the fast-breaking meal, Governor of Hatay, Mehmet
Celalettin Lekesiz said that residents of Hatay are filled with power
of love.

Muftu of Hatay, Mustafa Sinanoglu, said that it does not matter for
them to be Christian, Jewish, Alewi or Sunni. He said that they all
live together in peace and friendship in Hatay which has to be seen
by the whole world.

Nasrettin Eskiocak, the representative of the Alewi community, said
that the tradition of tolerance, friendship and peace in Hatay should
keep going and be a model for others.

Chairman of the Foundation of Orthodox Church, Fadi Hurigul, stated
that the city of Antakya is the city of culture, love, peace, social
solidarity and the unity of civilizations.

Chairman of the Jewish community foundation, Saul Cenudioglu, said that
he wishes Ramadan would bring peace and clemency to the whole humanity.

Also speaking on the behalf of Armenian community, Cem Capar, said
that people who come from different backgrounds and different cultures,
religions in Hatay came together to eat at the same table.

GAMBURYAN TOOK THE HARD ROAD

The Daily News of Los Angeles
August 2, 2012 Thursday
VALLEY EDITION

MMA: HOLLYWOOD RESIDENT HAS FACED NOTHING BUT THE BEST IN HIS
THREE-YEAR CAREER IN RUGGED SPORT.

It spans less than three years and reads like a who’s-who of
featherweight champions, challengers and contenders.

Leonard Garcia. Mike Brown. Jose Aldo. Tyson Griffin. Diego Nunes.

Not a palooka in the bunch.

And that’s the way Manny Gamburyan likes it, even if his past five
fights have come with only two victories.

“Since the day I walked into the UFC, I’ve never had an easy guy,” said
the former lightweight, who has found a more comfortable home in the
UFC’s 145-pound featherweight division. “So even dropping to 145, I’ve
never had an easy fight. … It’s not an easy road, it’s a tough road.”

Gamburyan’s road doesn’t get any smoother with his next fight, but
at least it gets somewhat simpler.

The Hollywood resident gets the opportunity of a lifetime Saturday
when he gets to stay local and fight on the UFC on Fox 4 card at
Staples Center.

“It means a lot,” Gamburyan said Monday after a training session at
Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood. “I’ve never fought in L.A.

It’s a big opportunity for me, to fight in front of my L.A. fans, my
Armenians. It’s gonna be very exciting. I can’t wait to fight. Staples
Center … I guess it doesn’t get bigger than this.”

Just because it’s home doesn’t mean Gamburyan (11-7) is getting
any home-cooking in the Octagon. His opponent is the battle-tested
Michihiro Omigawa, a Japanese mixed martial artist who has a
third-degree black belt in judo.

Gamburyan, who trains under Gokor Chivichyan and Gene LeBell with
Team Hayastan in addition to working out at Glendale Fight Club and SK
Golden Boys Wrestling Club in Van Nuys, acknowledges Omigawa (13-11-1)
is a gamer and recognizes his judo pedigree.

One thing though – this isn’t judo and no one’s sporting a traditional
gi.

“It doesn’t matter who’s better in gi or without a gi or in judo. This
is an MMA fight,” said Gamburyan, himself a second-degree judo black
belt who was a member of the 2000 judo junior world team. “I’m gonna
go out and fight. I’m gonna do my thing, he’s gonna do his thing and
we’ll see who’s gonna get the better of it.”

Unfortunately Gamburyan, 31, hasn’t got the better of his past three
opponents.

He fought Aldo – the current UFC featherweight champion – for the WEC
title in September 2010 and suffered a second-round knockout. He lost
a majority decision to Griffin 13 months ago at UFC Live 4.

And then came the unanimous-decision loss to Nunes in December at
UFC 141. Gamburyan’s reacted with disgust upon hearing the decision.

“I knew I won the fight. I even came back and told my corner I won the
fight,” he said, shaking his head at the memory. “When they announced
it 29-28, not even a split, I was like, ‘Really?”‘

Helping soothe the pain somewhat was his post-fight conversation
with UFC president Dana White: “It was bad but Dana, he came up to me
and goes, ‘In my book, you won the fight, you’re getting a bonus. So
don’t think you lost the fight, you won the fight.’

“That’s what matters.”

Not making life any easier is UFC 141 – along with other past UFC
cards – being shown in heavy rotation recently among some of the
Fox-owned networks.

Being on TV is a good thing, Gamburyan admits, but after tuning in
two weeks ago to watch his fight with Nunes, he still believes he won.

“His leg kicks basically, I guess, won the fight, but I still don’t
agree with that,” Gamburyan said. “I rocked him, I took him down,
I controlled it and I walked forward. All he did was step back and
just kick. I guess kicking wins the fights.”

Gamburyan received plenty of TV time five years ago during his stint on
“The Ultimate Fighter 5.” He advanced to the lightweight final against
Nate Diaz, only to suffer a dislocated shoulder while attempting a
takedown early in the second round, forcing him to tap out.

He recovered and won his first two UFC fights, but losing the next
two forced the 5-foot-5 Gamburyan to reconsider his place among the
larger 155-pounders.

Dropping down to 145 pounds meant sliding over from Zuffa’s UFC to
its WEC. At the time, the UFC didn’t have a featherweight division. It
has since absorbed the WEC and added bantamweight (135) and flyweight
(125) divisions too.

Gamburyan went 3-0 in less than a year in the WEC before running into
Aldo, but he appears much more comfortable at 145 pounds.

“Now, it’s not an easy cut, but not a hard cut. I’m making weight
pretty good,” he said. “Pounds away from making weight, less than
week before the fight, it’s exciting, it’s L.A. It doesn’t get better
than this.”

Foremost on Gamburyan’s mind is beating Omigawa, while others seem
to focus on his losing streak. Few fighters have endured a four-fight
skid and stuck with the UFC.

But he doesn’t see it as a do-or-die fight.

“Every fight is do or die in the UFC. Every fight is do or die. Gotta
win out there. If you lose, you’re in the losing back end. You win,
you’re going a step closer to a title shot,” he said. “I’m still young,
I still got a couple years in me. I’m not saying it’s a last chance
to go out there go for a belt run. I’ve still got many years to go.”

In addition to the pressure to win, there’s the added weight of
performing well in front of family and friends: “I gotta go out there
and leave everything in the cage, especially in front of an L.A.

crowd. I can’t get booed.”

There’s only one thing he can’t control.

“It’s all over – ‘Manny, you got tickets?”‘ he said. “I’m like,
‘I don’t sell tickets. Go to Ticketmaster.”‘

OLYMPIC CHAMPION AZARYAN FEELS OFFENDED AT IOC, LEAVES OLYMPICS

ITAR-TASS
July 30, 2012 Monday 01:32 AM GMT+4
Russia

A famous Soviet artistic gymnast, three-time Olympic champion Albert
Azaryan leaves the London Olympics ahead of time on Sunday. He
is feeling offended at the decision of the International Olympic
Committee (IOC), which deprived the Olympic veteran of the right to
be a flag bearer of the Armenian delegation at the opening ceremony
of the Summer Olympic Games in London.

“I do not want to stay here any longer. It turned out that I arrived in
London in vain,” Azaryan, 83, said in an interview with the Armenian
sport website NEWS.am Sport on Sunday. “If I should not have been an
Armenian flag bearer, then my arrival here (in the British capital
– Itar-Tass) had been senseless. I am coming back to Armenia,” the
legendary Armenian athlete confirmed.

The London Olympic organizing committee banned Azaryan to carry the
flag of the Armenian delegation during a festive opening ceremony of
the Olympics, because under a new IOC decision, the flag bearer can
be only an athlete from the current Olympic national team. Otherwise,
this Olympic country is fined.

“I do not have any mood to stay in London. The IOC took away my mood,
banning me to be a flag bearer of my country,” Azaryan said.

Azaryan recalled that “in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics he had no
problems in this issue.” “It was decided that I will carry the
Armenian national flag and I did it. Before the current Olympics we
were not even warned that the flag bearer should be a member of the
current Olympic national team,” Azaryan said with indignation. “The
IOC informed us about this decision already upon arrival in London,
two days before the opening of the Olympics, when all participants
had already arrived in the Olympic Village,” he pointed out.

“They were to notify us in advance, but they did not do it. I do
not know why I arrived here at all,” the Armenian Olympic veteran
underlined.

ARMENIAN AIRLINE TO DROP SUPERJET 100
By Rachel Nielsen

The Moscow Times

Aug 7 2012
Russia

Armenian national airline Armavia, the first buyer of the Sukhoi
Superjet 100, says it wants to return the midrange aircraft to the
manufacturer because of technical problems.

United Aircraft Corporation’s Sukhoi Civilian Aircraft, however,
says the matter is a financial disagreement.

The dispute further complicates the sales of the Superjet, a regional
civilian jetliner, which has racked up safety incidentssince its
commercial launch in April 2011.

The most recent problem occurred last week, when a Superjet flown by
Aeroflot made an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo Airport at the
end of a Kazan-Moscow flight after the cabin partly depressurized,
RIA-Novosti reported.

RBC Daily first reported Monday that Armavia wasn’t flying the first
Superjet that it had purchased. Armavia owner Mikhail Bagdasarov
confirmed that fact to Armenian news service ArmInfo, saying he didn’t
want the plane because it doesn’t comply with government standards.

The controversy comes four weeks after an Armavia spokeswoman told
Interfax that the airline wouldn’t buy a second Superjet 100 as
planned. Both the first and second planes are currently in the Moscow
region town of Zhukovsky, near Domodedovo Airport, RBC Daily said.

An Armavia spokeswoman in Yerevan said Tuesday that she couldn’t
provide immediate comment on the controversy.

A spokesman for Sukhoi Civilian Aircraft, Andrei Muravyov, said the
firm hadn’t officially received word from Armavia that the airline was
rejecting the first plane, which has been in service since April 2011.

He said by phone that Armavia didn’t like the contract conditions
offered to it, which included “a discount.”

Armavia hasn’t paid for the first plane in full, and it is “supposed
to accept” the delivery of the second this year, Muravyov said.

If Armavia does reject the planes, “it wouldn’t be pretty” for Sukhoi,
since the airline was the first Superjet buyer, Metropol transport
analyst Andrei Rozhkov said.

The perception among pilots is that the Superjet 100 hasn’t yet been
developed to the same level as foreign-made planes, Rozhkov said.

In May, there was a deadly crash of the plane in Indonesia that killed
all of the nearly 50 people onboard. Sukhoi was operating that flight
as a demonstration for potential buyers.

FINDING MOTHERLAND. MISFORTUNE OF SYRIAN ARMENIANS MAY UNITE ENTIRE NATION
by Yuriy Simonyan

Nezavisimaya Gazeta
Aug 1 2012
Russia

The fighting in the Syrian city of Aleppo has strengthened migration
sentiments within the local Armenian community. We should not
speak of a mass exodus, but the number of people wishing to travel
to their historical motherland has increased. In connection with
the exacerbation of the situation Armenia’s national air carrier –
the Armavia Company – has issued a denial of charges that it hiked
ticket prices on the Armenia-Syria salient and has reported that it
is prepared to organize an additional flight to Syria to bring out
compatriots if it receives assistance from the Armenian authorities.

In all, 3,248 Syrian citizens applied to acquire citizenship of the
Republic of Armenia during the first half of this year. Several dozen
other people requested refugee status. The Armenian State Migration
Service has reported that all requests have been met. In addition,
the authorities recently simplified the rules for Syrian Armenians
to enter the country. They can now obtain visas at the border or in
airports in their historical motherland.

Speaking about the problem associated with a possible influx of
refugees into Armenia, which itself is far from being a model
of socioeconomic conditions and has a high level of unemployment,
representatives of the power structures evasively point out that the
situation remains unpredictable and that it is impossible to guess
in advance how many Armenians will ultimately wish to settle in the
motherland. Even now some of those who have come out of Syria do not
hide the fact that they regard Armenia as a transshipment point or
a safe haven where they can wait for the denouement of the crisis
and decide what to do next, depending on how it ends. On the whole,
not many refugees have announced their firm intention to put down
roots precisely in Armenia.

Armenians have lived in Syria since quite ancient times. The community
grew sharply in the late 19th and early 20th centuries following the
Cilician pogroms or the so-called slaughter in Adana – the first acts
of genocide against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, which peaked
in 1915. As in the case of Armenia today, not all the refugees who
managed to get out of Turkish territory at that time settled in Syria,
and some continued to look for a better fate. Prior to the start of
the present combat clashes the Armenian population of that country
numbered approximately 100,000 (according to the data of the LookLex
encyclopedia, up to 200,000, including Armenians who have adopted
Catholicism -Nezavisimaya Gazeta). The overwhelming majority of
them lived precisely in Aleppo, with somewhat smaller communities
being registered in Damascus and Homs. The Syrian Armenians were
employed in all socioeconomic spheres and at the same time, as a rule,
kept well out of politics. They have maintained their neutrality or
apoliticalness during these days of war as well. Therefore observers
believe that there is no underlying political reason for the mass
exodus of Syrian Armenians, just a threat to personal safety to the
same degree as for any civilian in Syria, regardless of nationality
and faith.

The publication Armenian Weekly has published an analysis of the
situation in which the Armenian diaspora finds itself in this restless
country. The problem of immigration into Armenia is not as simple
as you might imagine, Armenian Weekly writes. Many Armenians are
not prepared to leave Syria, which they have called their home for
decades. If they do get this desire, then another obstacle arises:
They have to leave their homes and property, since the Syrian sales
markets have, for understandable reasons, been paralysed, and without
the money that could have been obtained by selling property life
in Armenia will be attended by other problems. The historian Ara
Sanjian of the University of Michigan believes that the efforts of
the Armenian authorities alone are not enough to resolve the problems
if the departure of Armenians from Syria still assumes a mass nature.

“The government can do little because of the situation in Syria,
because of the weak economy in Armenia itself, and, importantly,
because of very scant knowledge of the realities of the diaspora’s
life…,” Armenian media cite the academic’s words published in
Armenian Weekly. In Sanjian’s opinion, the time has come to unite
the nation, which is scattered all over the world: Everyone “must
give moral and physical support to the Armenians in Syria.”

A similar viewpoint is adhered to by the Dashnaktsutyun Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, whose branches function in almost all
cities of the world where there is an Armenian community that is
at all noticeable. Commenting on the Syrian question, Kiro Manoyan,
one of the federation’s leaders, told Yerevan journalists that it is
expedient to preserve the Armenian community in that country.

According to him, the situation is very complex and delicate: On
no account must the people who wish to move to Armenia be denied
assistance, but it is also inadmissible somehow to encourage this
process or to initiate it.

The majority of Syria’s Armenians seem to have decided not to uproot
themselves from the places where they have always lived. According
to recent reports from sources in Aleppo and Damascus, an “Organ of
Operational Assistance for Syria’s Armenians” has been formed in
the country, and the community itself is becoming consolidated so
as to be ready to “deal a rebuff to likely difficulties.” The clergy
has also mobilized itself. In particular, Aram I, catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia, has allocated funds for targeted assistance
to specific families experiencing financial difficulties. He has
also charged all the eparchies of the Cilician Catholicosate with
providing material assistance to Syria’s religious seminaries.

Incidentally, at the time this issue was being signed to press it
was reported from Yerevan that Syria’s consul in Armenia had resigned
and gone over to the opposition.

[translated from Russian]

HRAPARAK: MAXIM HAKOBYAN INTERFERES IN KAPAN AND GORIS MAYORAL ELECTIONS?

Panorama.am
08/08/2012

Kajaran will hold mayoral election on September 9. So far there have
been no nominations. Current mayor, member of Republican Party of
Armenia (RPA) Vardan Gevorgyan is expected to announce his candidacy,
Hraparak daily writes.

“The source of Kajaran’s political breath is the Copper Molybdenum
Combine, and therefore everything depends on Combine’s General Director
Maxim Hakobyan. He also interferes in mayoral elections of Kapan and
Goris. During the previous elections, he backed current mayor of Kapan,
ARF member Arthur Atayan, but it is rumored that Hakobyan is going
to stay passive this time, therefore it is not clear whether he will
back RPA candidate Ashot Harutyunyan. Kajaran residents treat Mayor
Vardan Gevorgyan well. They say that Gevorgyan has passed through a
war, is simple and finds a common language with everyone, but he has
one shortcoming: he is a weak man,” the paper writes.

ARMENIA DOESN’T NEED IT
Roza Hovhannisyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 13:27:29 – 08/08/2012

In an interview to Lragir.am, Head of Mondus Vivendi Center Ara Papyan,
dwelling on Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Union said that it
is not expedient since this organization has not yet been set up and
nothing is clear in its relation. According to him, it seems to be an
attempt to imitate the Soviet Union in a worse way. The Soviet Union,
in Papyan’s opinion, had the advantage over the EurAzEs: it had common
pricing and salary systems. We sacrificed our independence for some
economic benefit. Now, we already have great losses in our foreign
policy in terms of independence. Now we will lose even more if we
join EurAzEs without any benefit. We need to have a clear idea that
the accession to that organization will harm our relations with the
countries of the European Union and the Middle East, says Ara Papyan.

He continues saying that the benefit of joining such structures is the
customs procedures, but Armenia, having no common border, will have to
pass the customs procedures through Georgia and then arrive to Russia.

He says the procedures will remain the same so this organization will
give nothing to Armenia.

The more members the union has, the better it is for Russia: we
will just increase the number of the members and will lose much,
says Ara Papyan.

Repression is quite possible. We are now in such a situation when
the authorities depend on Russia for various reasons. Naturally,
if they face the dilemma of choosing between the power and EurAzEs,
I think, they will choose the organization. We have had many economic
and political losses just for the sake of fawning over someone,
says the Mondus Vivendi head.

In general, we need one thing – rule of law in the political and
economic fields. When there is rule of law in Armenia, capital will
come just like industry and competitiveness. There is no capitalism in
Armenia, it is based on competitiveness. We have state monopolistic,
half-feudalistic management. If Armenia is put in just, competitive
conditions, it will develop. If rule of law is ensured, Armenia will
develop, if it is not, Armenia will never develop no matter if it is
within the European Union or EurAzEs, said Ara Papyan.