Author: Babajanian Karo

RULING PARTY: AZERBAIJAN HAS ENOUGH POWER AND ABILITY TO LIBERATE ITS LANDS

Trend
May 3 2012
Azerbaijan

If Armenia does not liberate the occupied Azerbaijani territories,
then the Azerbaijani people and state has enough power, ability and
will to liberate its land and restore historical justice, Ruling New
Azerbaijan Party deputy chairman and executive secretary Ali Ahmedov
told journalists on Thursday.

“Armenia has committed aggression against Azerbaijan and occupied 20
per cent of our lands. This occupation has lasted 20 years. The UN
Security Council and other international organisations have taken
a decision on this issue. All this means is that no matter what
statements the Armenian president makes, the world community and
international law demand that Armenia liberates Azerbaijani lands,”
Ahmedov said.

He said nobody asked Armenia and its government to occupy Azerbaijani
territories by shedding blood.

“This bloodshed, such injustice, has been committed not only against
Azerbaijan. They acted unfairly also in respect of their people. They
have shed the blood of their own citizens to occupy the territory
of another country. It is their own business how they respond to the
parents of their soldiers whose blood has been shed,” Ahmedov said.

STRONG ANNUAL GROWTH OF ARMENIAN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY PERSISTS THROUGHOUT Q1
Venla Sipila

Global Insight
May 2, 2012

The latest monthly indicator of economic activity published by
the Armenian National Statistical Office suggests growth of 6.6%
year-on-year (y/y) in March. Following gains of 6.7% y/y in February
and 4.8% y/y in January, this result brought the rise in this indicator
for the whole of the first quarter to 6.1% y/y.

Month-on-month (m/m) comparison testifies to marked strengthening
of activity during the first quarter; sharp contraction of over 50%
m/m in January turned to growth of over 5% m/m in February, to be
followed by a surge of 18.4% m/m in March.

Significance:The index of economic activity, only fairly recently
introduced in Armenia, reflects overall trends in the economy.

However, at 5.9%, its growth over last year somewhat exceeded the
official rate of GDP growth which was reported at 4.6%. In any case,
the economy seems to have started this year on a fairly strong note,
as the industrial sector, in particular, has performed well. To an
important degree, this has been the result of strong mining-sector
gains, supported by high metal prices. However, growth is likely
to weaken over the next quarters. This muted outlook is based on
expected moderation in industrial gains, while also the construction
sector is performing fairly weakly at the moment. However, assuming a
good agricultural harvest, and fairly well performing domestic trade
sector, economic growth of some 3-3.5% should be achievable for this
year as a whole. However, risks arise from the uncertainty of the
external environment, given that the economy remains very dependent
on remittance and investment inflows.

EIGHT PARTIES, ONE BLOC TO RUN IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA ON MAY 6

Interfax
May 2 2012
Russia

Armenia will hold elections to its National Assembly on May 6.

The Central Elections Commission has registered the electoral lists
of eight parties and one block of organizations allowed to run in
the elections.

Running for 90 parliamentary seats on a proportional representation
system will be the ruling Republican Party led by President Serzh
Sargsyan, the party Prospering Armenia led by businessman Gagik
Tsarukian, the Orinats Yerkir party led by National Security
Council Secretary Artur Bagdasarian, the Revolutionary Federation
of Dashnaktsutyun, the Heritage party led by former Foreign Minister
Raffi Ovannisian, running in an alliance with the party Free Democrats,
which earlier split off from the opposition Armenian National Congress,
the opposition block Armenian National Congress led by former President
Levon Ter-Petrosian, which is comprised of 18 political organizations,
the Democratic Party, the Communist Party and the United Armenians
party.

The Republican Party, Prospering Armenia, and Orinats Yerkir comprise
the ruling coalition.

A public opinion survey conducted by the Armenian Sociological
Association and Gallup International Association on April 16-22 showed
that 42% of those polled were ready to vote for the Republican Party,
28% for Prospering Armenia, 7% for the Armenian National Congress,
5% for Orinats Yerkir, 5% for Dashnaktsutyun, 4% for Heritage, 1%
for the Communist Party, 0.4% for United Armenians and 0.3% for the
Democratic Party.

The Armenian law stipulates that a party has to overcome the 5%
threshold and a bloc the 7% election threshold to be represented in
the parliament.

Analysts are of the view that the principal rivals in the elections
will be the Republican Party, Prospering Armenia, and the Armenian
National Congress.

Some pundits are suggesting that Prospering Armenia is losing the
voters’ trust for a number of reasons.

“This party started introducing itself as an opposition party even
before the race, although it has been part of the [ruling] coalition
for the past five years. When members of this party talk about a
difficult social situation in the country, employment problems, and
unaffordable medical services and housing, it would be wrong to forget
that they have controlled the social protection and labor, healthcare,
sports and youth affairs, and city planning ministries for the past
five years,” political analyst Grant Melik-Shakhnazarian told Interfax.

As regards the Armenian National Congress led by ex-President
Ter-Petrosian, it has been weakened because of a lack of funding in
the past years, he said.

The Republican Party, Prospering Armenia, the Armenian National
Congress, Orinats Yerkir, Dashnaktsutyun, and Heritage have chances to
qualify for the parliament, Melik-Shakhnazarian said. “The last days
of the campaign will be decisive for these political groups,” he said.

The elections will be monitored by about 30,000 observers from 53
non-governmental organizations, including 16,000 local observers from
31 organizations.

PACE, the OSCE/ODIHR, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and the European
Parliament are expected to delegate about 600 observers.

The Armenian National Assembly is comprised of 131 members, 90 of whom
are elected on a proportional representation system and the other 41
on a single-winner system.

PAPER: EX-CHIEF OF YEREVAN’S KENTRON COMMUNITY STILL JOBLESS

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 2, 2012 – 10:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Former head of Yerevan’s central Kentron community
Gagik Gyanjumyan is still “unemployed”, according to Hraparak paper.

He holds no position so far, but heads the election office of Garegin
Nushikyan, pro-governmental candidate running by majority system in
the 10th constituency.

On May 1, Hraparak’s reporter asked Gyanjumyan whether his current
activities may secure a new post for him following the May elections.

“Anything is possible,” former local head replied.

As to the question on any political reasons behind his dismissal,
Gyanjumyan said: “Nothing is eternal; I’ve worked for ten years,
now it’s time for the young to come.

If there were any political implications in this, do you think I
would be sitting here now?” he told the paper’s reporter hinting at
his work in the territorial office of the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia in Kentron district.

TAVUSH TROUBLE: QUESTIONS LINGER ON AFTER CARNAGE OF ARMENIAN SOLDIERS NEAR BORDER WITH AZERBAIJAN
By Gohar Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow
02.05.12 | 13:22

Photo: Gohar Abrahamyan/ArmeniaNow.com

Last week’s news of three Armenian servicemen murdered in an apparent
ambush attack near the border with Azerbaijan continues to draw
reactions and cause speculations both in the media and among common
citizens.

Late last week, the Armenian Defense Ministry reported that three
soldiers were killed on the road between the villages of Movses
and Aygepar in Armenia’s northeastern Tavush province as the car
on which they were traveling in the small hours of April 27 came
under what appeared to be an Azeri shelling. It was later reported
that one serviceman survived the attack almost unscathed. No other
circumstances of the incident were reported.

The three men who died were later identified as 27-year-old David
Abgaryan, 25-year-old Aram Yesayan and 21-year-old Arshak Nersisyan.

All were natives of the nearby town of Berd and had served in the
Armenian armed forces under contracts. The survivor, 27-year-old
Arkady Yesayan, is also from Berd and is also a contract serviceman.

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
representatives conducted a ceasefire monitoring of the
Armenian-Azerbaijan border in the troubled section on Monday, reporting
no incidents during their short mission. Accompanied by the Armenian
military, the field aides to the OSCE chairman-in-office also visited
the site of the Friday deadly attack, while at the Berd military
police precinct they were allowed to have a detailed examination and
take pictures and video of the vehicle that came under fire.

The OSCE officials were also told that Azeri drones were seen in the
sky during the days leading to the attack on the ground.

An Armenian investigation is still on in connection with that incident
and no official version of the events has yet been announced.

However, different speculations were made in the immediate aftermath
of the incident and later on. Some media spread information according
to which the bodies had been mutilated. This would be direct
evidence of an infiltration by a group of Azeri commandos into the
Armenian-controlled territory. According to some unverified media
reports, the Armenian soldiers were AWOL and did not possess weapons
when confronted by Azeri commandos, becoming easy prey.

Meanwhile, some initial speculation also included a possible internal
argument resulting in a shootout. Within hours after the news was
reported, Helsinki Citizens Assembly Vanadzor Office Director Artur
Sakunts postedd a comment in a Facebook discussion group claiming to
having received information “from several sources” that “the contract
servicemen were killed as a result of a dispute among themselves in
which firearms were used.”

“There is also information that there were more people involved
in it…

It is not yet clear what the reason for the argument was….

Unfortunately, we again have to deal with deaths in the ranks caused
by the violation of the rules of discipline,” said the human rights
activist.

Sakunts himself, however, denied this version the following day after
visiting the scene. He described it as “surely a sabotage activity”
after what he witnessed there.

One resident in Berd also doubted it could have been the result of
a firefight among the fellow soldiers as he talked to ArmeniaNow at
the weekend.

“Many people say that these guys had a fight and killed each other,
but I can say with certitude that there was no such thing. They grew
up before our eyes, all were from this area, were very close to each
other. Only Azeris could do that,” he said.

During the soldiers’ funeral, attended by hundreds of people near
Berd’s house of culture, Chairman of the Council of War Veterans of
Armenia Simon Yesayan called the deadly incident “a result of the
base policies and bloody activities of Azerbaijan” – a country that,
he said, still cannot put up with the defeat that it suffered in the
Karabakh war in 1994.

“I am sure that they had another goal – to capture a village or a
military base, but an encounter with these guys upset their heinous
plans,” said Yesayan.

The attack followed days of intensified ceasefire violations near the
border in Tavush. In one such violation last Wednesday Azeri snipers
fired shots at a kindergarten in the Armenian border village of Dovegh,
necessitating a prompt evacuation of the children and personnel.

ArmeniaNow also visited the only survivor of the attack, Arkady
Yesayan. The soldier who is still recovering from shock has no serious
health problems otherwise.

BAKO SAHAKYAN BESTOWS ST. MESROP MASHTOTS ORDER ON KHACHATUROV

Aysor.am
May 02, 2012

On May 1, Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan signed a decree according
to which for services shown to the Artsakh Republic and in connection
with the 60th anniversary of birthday St. Mesrop Mashtots Order was
awarded to the head of the General Staff of the Republic of Armenia’s
Armed Forces colonel-general Yuri Khachaturov, Artsakh President’s
press office reported.

PROSPEROUS ARMENIA DISTRIBUTES PROMISED ELECTORAL BRIBES, PAPER SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 2, 2012 – 10:03 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Several days ago Hraparak paper reported that
Prosperous Armenia party is actively engaged in listing its potential
voters in Armenia’s Vayots Dzor province, particularly in the town
of Vayk for the upcoming parliamentary elections, promising 25 kg of
flour to each.

The party’s office in Vayk had collected the passports providing
receipts instead, which enabled the residents to come fetch the
flour shortly.

So, on April 30 and May 1 most people were given their “share”,
but some of the list did not get the flour, Hraparak says.

“Some were given AMD 5000 instead of the flour, but people were
contented since the 25-kg pack of 1st sort flour cost, namely AMD
5000,” paper concludes.

SCIENTISTS FROM AZERBAIJAN, USA, FRANCE, IRAN, NORWAY AND UK TO DISCUSS ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS IN ERZRUM

arminfo
Wednesday, May 2, 12:30

The symposium, which opens today in the Turkish city of Erzurum, will
be attended by 75 Turkish and foreign scientists and researchers of
the Turkish-Armenian relations from Azerbaijan, the UK, U.S., France
and Iran, Turkish media reported.

Fifteen meetings will be held within the symposium, which will
last until May 4. According to the director of the Armenian-Turkish
Relations Research Center at the Ataturk University, Erol Kurkcuoglu,
the symposium will feature documents relating to the history of the
Armenian-Turkish relations.

Armenia and Turkey signed the “Protocol on the establishment of
diplomatic relations” and the “Protocol on the development of bilateral
relations” in Zurich on October 10. Following Turkey’s unwillingness
to ratify the protocols and attempts to link ratification with the
Karabakh conflict made President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan sign a
decree on suspension of the procedure of ratification of the Armenian
-Turkish protocols. After the protocols were removed from agenda of
the Turkish parliament in August 2011 as the term of the parliament
of the previous convocation expired, in some two months they were
returned to the agenda of the Turkish national assembly. However,
the term of their ratification has not been determined yet.

IRAN, LEBANON VOW TO IMPROVE ECONOMIC TIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 2, 2012 – 11:21 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Iran and Lebanon have stressed the importance of
improving bilateral economic relations between the two countries,
Press TV reports.

Tehran and Beirut underlined the enhancement of the ties during the
seventh summit of the Iran-Lebanon Joint Commission, which was held
in the presence of Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development
Ali Nikzad and Lebanon’s Minister of Economy Nicolas Nahhas in the
Lebanese capital of Beirut on Tuesday, May 1.

Nikzad said that the meeting is aimed at improving mutual ties and
creating a free trade zone between Lebanon and Iran.

“We are working on cooperative relations between the two countries
to raise the level of cooperation in the economic and social levels,”
he said.

“Some of the issues we agreed upon are in the fields of electricity,
industry and scientific research,” he added.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATED IN BAGHDAD

Panorama.am
02/05/2012

The 97th anniversary of Armenian Genocide is being commemorated in
different country. St. Grigor Lusavorich Church in Baghdad hosted
liturgy on Tuesday.

Foreign Ministry press department says Armenian Ambassador to Iraq
Murad Muradyan, Ambassador of Vatican to Iraq, senior clergymen and
representatives of Armenian organizations were present at the service.

Panorama.am recalls that Turkey has traditionally rejected the mass
killings of 1,5 million Armenians carried out early in the 20th
century and took the criticism of the West painfully.

Note that the following states have recognized and condemned the
Armenian Genocide carried out in the Ottoman Turkey: Uruguay (1965),
Cyprus (1982), Argentina (1993), Russian Federation (1995), Canada
(1996), Greece (1996), Lebanon (1997), Belgium (1998), Italy (2000),
Vatican (2000), France (2001), Switzerland (2003), Slovakia (2004),
the Netherlands (2004), Poland (2005), Germany (2005), Venezuela
(2005), Lithuania (2005), Chile (2007), Sweden (2010). Armenian
Genocide is also recognized by the European Parliament and World
Council of Churches.