Author: Badalian Vardan

IT VENTURE FUND TO OPERATE IN ARMENIA BY YEAREND

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 11, 2012 – 15:13 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – A venture fund for financing startups in IT sector
will operate in Armenia by the end of 2012, director of Enterprise
Incubator Foundation (EIF) said.

As Bagrat Yengibaryan told a press conference on April 11, the first
venture fund will be established through government assistance of
USD 6 mln, with 50% assistance to be ensured by the private sector.

“A complete model of the fund has already been developed, with
requirements specification planned in the near future to make the
project feasible by the end of the year,” Mr. Yengibaryan said.

CALLS RECEIVED BY “IDITORD” REFER ONLY TO INACCURACIES OF ELECTION LISTS

ARMENPRESS
APRIL 11, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 11, ARMENPRESS. The event organized by “Partnership
for open Society” initiative launched on April 11, was aimed on the
eve of 2012 Parliamentary elections present public programs.

Larisa Minasyan “The Open Society Foundations – Armenia “executive
director stated that the presented projects will later serve for
holding democratic elections, Armenpress reports.

“These projects are intended to control different processes during
the elections” she said.

“Multi- lateral Information Institute” NGO projects director Samvel
Martirosyan stated that “iDitord” (I am observer) web site, established
by them, enables the citizens to voice their alarm using the internet.

“Every citizen who has witnessed a falsification has the chance to
call us and the submitted alarm will be placed on the map; by the
means of which it will become clear where the violation accrued”
Martirosyan noted.

The interlocutor highlighted that throughout a week 108 calls have
already been registered which mainly refer to inaccuracies of lists
and election bribes. The calls are reportedly presented to CEC.

ARMENIAN CATHOLICOS SALUTES ENVIRONMENTALISTS

news.am
April 11, 2012 | 13:37

ETCHMIADZIN. – The Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, has
responded to the petitions submitted by the environmental activists.

“A permanent care and attention should be displayed toward nature. We
salute the attention and the zeal manifested by the environmental
organizations.

The environmental issues must be resolved by the relevant state
agencies, within the framework of the law, and under the guidance of
the country’s and the society’s interests,” the message received from
the Holy See of Saint Etchmiadzin specifically reads.

WHY DID 3 WOMEN WITHDRAW FROM ARMENIA’S ORINATS YERKIR PARTY ELECTION LIST?

news.am
April 11, 2012 | 12:40

YEREVAN. – Three women-namely, Ashkhen Manukyan, Karine Lazarian,
and Meri Ghonyan-have withdrawn from the ruling coalition’s Orinats
Yerkir (Rule of Law) Party (RLP) proportional list for the forthcoming
National Assembly elections. RLP Press Secretary Harutyun Amiryan
confirmed this information to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In Amiryan’s words, the reason why these women had withdrawn from the
list is because they are working at the electoral precinct commissions
and are busy with other Party activities, too.

RLP representative also informed that the Party discussed the decision
for their withdrawal and this was a joint decision.

Orinats Yerkir’s Press Secretary denied the news that these women
are leaving the Party and more people will follow suit.

AN OPEN LETTER TO BUSY ARMENIANS

asbarez
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

ANCA Telethon 2012
BY VACHE THOMASSIAN

You’re a good Armenian.

Proud of your heritage, concerned about our homeland, and committed
to Armenia’s future.

Since you were a child, you’ve given of your time and energy in
selfless service to our community and cause.

But, let’s face it, you’re busy: Work. Family. School. And everything
else.

Endless obligations. Day after day. One on top of the other. It’s
hard to carve out the quality time you want to devote to the charities
close to your heart.

That’s where the ANCA comes in!

The ANCA works 24/7 to advance your views.

We fight for your rights around the clock. Defend our shared
interests. Grasp opportunities. Tackle challenges. And take on our
enemies on the front lines of the Armenian Cause.

We’re in the political trenches, doing all the things you would do,
if only you had the time:

– Building power in Washington, and delivering results for the
Armenian Cause.

– Getting better coverage of Armenian issues in the national media.

– Keeping young Armenians interested and engaged in Armenian life.

– Promoting the use of cutting-edge technology to network Armenian
Americans.

You don’t have the time to work on all these yourself. None of us do.

But, by supporting the ANCA, we, working together, can make progress
in all these areas, and more. That’s the power of teamwork.

And, you can be sure that your dollars are delivering real value,
because each and every contribution leverages the commitment of
hundreds of thousands of volunteers from across America.

Your investment is a major force multiplier in a world-class advocacy
organization:

– A proud and proven team – with a legacy of service and sacrifice –
that stands up for the enduring values of the Armenian nation.

– A cutting-edge organization with a track record of real results
that has the sophistication to network our increasingly mobile,
influential, and sophisticated community.

– An open grassroots group that has deep roots in our communities
and welcomes the ideas and energies of all Armenian Americans.

Bottom line: The ANCA is the team you can count on to get the job done,
even when you’re busy doing something else.

Your generosity contributes directly to a better connected, more
effectively organized, and increasingly powerful community that can
and will both save our homeland and serve our communities here at home.

The ANCA truly is your voice. So please, as we approach the day of
the nationwide ANCA Telethon 2012 on May 20th, take a moment to learn
about how your secure online donation will be put to work fighting
for the views and values that mean so much to you and your family:

With warmest regards, Vache Thomassian

PS: Your donation – large or small – will make a real difference for
our community, defend our homeland, build power, respect and influence
for Armenian Americans, and ensure a better future for generations
to come. Please give today.

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I CATHOLICOS OF CILICIA RECEIVES HASMIK PAPYAN

ARMENPRESS
APRIL 12, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. His Holiness Aram I Catholicos of
Cilicia on April 12 received world famous singer Hasmik Papyan. Aram
I highly appreciated 25-year-old rich heritage of the Armenian singer;
Papyan was gifted with Armenian cross by Catholicos.

On the eve of the meeting with Aram Catholicos Papyan gave a concert
in Lebanon. Still in 2000 his holiness awarded the singer with “St.
Mesrop Mashtots” medal.

Hasmik Papyan has been living in Vienne for long years. She has had
numerous concerts on the most prestigious stages of the world.

WHEN A “HERITAGE” MEMBER JOINS THE OEK

02:55 pm | Today | Politics

A “pre-electoral” meeting was held on Komitas Avenue in Yerevan
yesterday, and speaker of “Heritage” Party Hovsep Khurshudyan wrote
about that on his Facebook page.

“Two youth knocked on my door. I opened the door and they said,
‘We represent the terms and conditions of “Country of Law” Party
(OEK)-here is a mobile phone discount card”.

I asked them why, and they surprisingly said they were giving me the
card so that I would join the party. I told them that I already had
a mobile phone and a discount card and that I would only be ready to
join the party for jam! (I must say that pastry is my weak spot). They
told me they didn’t have jam. I told them that they were committing
an illegal act, that they were keeping the jam to themselves and
only giving me a discount card and that I would complain to the
administration that I didn’t receive jam. The poor youth fled. It
was a good thing I managed to take the OEK booklet. We can’t only
live with materials. We also need soul food,” the “Heritage” Party
member wrote on his Facebook page.

READY FOR PARADE AND ACTION: KARABAKH TO DISPLAY ITS ARMY STRENGTH ON MAY 9
By Gohar Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow
12.04.12 | 11:42

Photo: Gohar Abrahamyan/ArmeniaNow.com

Troops marshaled on the ground near Stepanakert have been practicing
their marching skills ahead of a triple holiday that Karabakh Armenians
are going to celebrate next month.

Soldiers with skin reddened by the spring sun march around the local
airport to the accompaniment of an orchestra, making the ground
tremble far across the area with their goosestep.

Enlarge Photo Karabakh Defense Army Commander Movses Hakobyan
Smiling faces are only a facade to utter attention to commands and
concentration that these servicemen have to do the exercise right and
keep the tiny nation happy during a military parade in Stepanakert’s
central square on May 9 that authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh say will
be unprecedented by its “scale and solemnity”.

The day will be an occasion for a “triple” celebration. First and
foremost, it will mark the 20th anniversary of the liberation of
Shushi, a fortress town some 10 kilometers to the south of Stepanakert
that had been turned into a stronghold by the Azeris and used for
shelling the Karabakh capital when hostilities broke out in the area
following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Many military experts say the capture of Shushi by Armenians marked
the turning point in the entire course of the war that reached a
ceasefire in 1994 leaving Armenians in control of the territory.

May 9 also marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the
regular defense army of Karabakh as well as the 67th anniversary
of the end of World War II in Europe. (Many Karabakh Armenians
distinguished themselves as soldiers and military commanders in
fighting Nazi Germany as part of the Soviet Red Army in 1941-1945.

Some of them were decorated with medals for heroism and courage
and declared Heroes of the Soviet Union – the highest honor in the
former USSR.)

Officials in Karabakh say the military parade in Stepanakert will
be attended by the infantry, tank forces, aircraft defense and
artillery units.

According to Defense Army Commander Movses Hakobyan, the parade will
display the achievements that Karabakh has made during the past two
decades as well as the current state of the Armenian republic’s army.

“Our parade will be different from that held in Yerevan [on September
21, 2011] in the sense that it will not only show the beauty, but
also the full combat readiness of our troops and will thus send
a message to the enemy,” Lieutenant-General Hakobyan told a group
of journalists from Yerevan on Wednesday. He added that the parade
itself was helpful in raising the level of soldiers’ preparedness
and keeping their fighting spirit high.

According to the defense official, Karabakh troops prove their
efficiency in daily service to keep the republic’s borders safe.

“The shootings along the frontline today are just as intensive
as they could be during the phase of active military operations,”
said Hakobyan, informing the media that only during the first half
of Wednesday the Azeri military violated the ceasefire 51 times.

According to the statistics of the Karabakh Defense Army, the number
of ceasefire violations in 2011 increased three times as compared to
2010, as a result of which 11 Armenian soldiers were shot dead in the
frontline, all sustaining fatal wounds in their heads – evidence of
increased sniper activity. But according to the local defense chief,
the Armenian side has maintained its dominant positions in all cases,
which has also allowed it to carry out punitive actions.

According to Hakobyan, today’s main focus of the army building in
Karabakh is training officers.

“While during the war we could count on one hand the number of soldiers
with military education, then today five percent of our officers have
academic education, 42 percent have military education,” said Hakobyan,
adding that modernization of arms takes place in the Karabakh army
every year. “We have to get armed in order to maintain the military
parity with Azerbaijan. Regional peace is preserved only due to the
defense army.”

According to the Karabakh defense minister, all military units in
Karabakh are supplied with necessary means, soldiers’ food and other
needs are fully satisfied.

Still, Hakobyan also acknowledged some problems in the ranks, one of
them being hazing that sometimes results in murders and suicides.

“This phenomenon is also present in society and the army is not free
from it either. But we try to control the situation as strictly
as we can to reduce the number of incidents in the ranks and put
interpersonal relations on a high level,” said the minister, giving
assurances that “no officer or soldier who commits a crime goes
unpunished.”

RPA NEW TECHNOLOGY
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 14:37:14 – 12/04/2012

For the last half year, elections were held in Armenia which were
called the rehearsal of the parliamentary elections. Elections were
held in Ijevan on November 13, 2011 and in Hrazdan on February 13.

There is a huge difference between these two elections. In Ijevan,
Prosperous Armenia candidate Vardan Galumyan defeated then-acting
Mayor and Republican candidate Varuzhan Nersisyan.

In Hrazdan, the acting Mayor, representing the Republican Party
of Armenia Aram Danielyan, won who defeating the Armenian National
Congress candidate Sasun Mikaelyan.

Actually, the elections in Ijevan showed that the Prosperous Armenia
can defeat the Republican party in some regions. This is first of all
connected with the fact that PAP is still considered the power’s party,
which uses the same methods, as the RPA does, including the use of
the administrative resource. It has recently added to its resources
and charity also its oppositional, rather, “alternative” image.

The elections in Hrazdan showed that the Armenian National Congress
is strong too. Actually, the Congress candidate was closely following
the RPA candidate who hardly managed winning despite the fact that the
Congress didn’t use the “traditional” ways of bribes, terror and else.

The main principle was the work against the power which succeeded in
some sense.

Both of these precedents suggest that the Republican Party will face,
during the parliamentary elections, both its political “twin” and
staunch opponent. Working on two fronts (not counting the Heritage and
ARFD), will not be easy for the RPA, if it does not come up with new,
efficient technologies, besides inflating voters’ lists. What kind
of technology can the RPA apply, excluding the violence?

After the elections in Ijevan, the RPA stated that the victory of the
Prosperous Armenia party candidate was a proof to democracy in the
country. Most likely, the political technology of the upcoming election
will be the demonstrative refusal of the RPA of the parliamentary
majority which will be presented as democratic achievement and
Serzh Sargsyan’s merit. These technologies are already in use: Serzh
Sargsyan has stated that the RPA, as the power’s party, is responsible
not only for itself, but for all the others, who want to be elected
to parliament.

This means that in any outcome of the elections, the RPA will try to
present it as victory: if it gets the majority, it will be quantity
victory, if it’s not – the RPA will receive a democratic image and
trust by its Western Partners.

With such an image, but preserving at the same time “the right of
elder”, Serzh Sargsyan may propose coalition. True, yesterday it
was stated that only those who supports Serzh Sargsyan at the next
presidential election will be allowed into the coalition. But the
RPA may display “democracy” and cede.

RPA REP. SAYS ANC WILL BE ASHAMED IN PARLIAMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 12, 2012 – 13:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – President of the Football Federation of Armenia
(FFA) Ruben Hayrapetyan nominated in constituency 1 in Yerevan’s Avan
district met with journalists on April 12.

“I will no longer respect Samvel Alexanyan if we goes to meet Nikol
[Pashinyan] as equal,” he said commenting on the call for debate by
opposition candidate Nikol Pashinyan to tycoon Samvel Alexanyan who
is running for the parliament in the same constituency.

According to Hayrapetyan, their “calibers” differ.

“Pashinyan’s chief Levon Ter-Petrossian would better meet Alexanyan
for debates, and Alexanyan will then demonstrate who is more useful
for our country, he or Nikol. With tens of thousands of staff like
Pashinyan, do you think Alexanyan is afraid of him, or is less smart?

Calling others names and insulting people does not mean you’re smart,”
Hayrapetyan declared.

As to his potential cooperation with the Armenian National Congress
in the parliament, he said that “they will come and shyly sit there,
ashamed of looking me in the face.”