Author: Badalian Vardan

REPUBLICAN PARTY DISTRIBUTES ‘CHARITABLE’ EGGS AHEAD OF EASTER

epress.am
04.06.2012

A “charitable drive” by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia
(HHK) was apparently in force on Thursday in a neighborhood of the
Yerevan district of Ajapnyak. Several youth were going door-to-door
distributing Arzni brand eggs ahead of the Easter holiday.

A similar campaign was underway in the 16th district, one of the
residents of which informed Epress.am that late at night, youth who
identified themselves as HHK activists, knocked on apartment doors
and offered a basket of eggs as a “gift”.

Those who didn’t open their doors found their “gift” left outside
their door in the morning.

L’ARMENIE ET LES ETATS-UNIS ETENDENT LEUR COOPERATION MILITAIRE
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 6 avril 2012

Le ministre armenien de la Defense Nationale Seyran Ohanian espère
que la cooperation militaire entre l’Armenie avec les Etats-Unis va
s’elargir dans un proche avenir après une serie de reunions de haut
niveau qu’il a tenues a Washington la semaine dernière.

Seyran Ohanian a fait une visite de travail aux Etats-Unis du 19
au 23 mars pendant laquelle il a rencontre au Pentagone le Ministre
americain de la Defense nationale Leon Panetta et a aussi tenu des
reunions avec d’autres hauts fonctionnaires americains, dont le
Directeur de C.I.A. David Patraeus.

Le ministre de la Defense Nationale a dit que la cooperation militaire
avec les Etats-Unis etait dans son ” cours normal “.

” Elle s’etend d’annee en annee en particulier en termes d’aide dans
l’execution de reformes et sur le niveau de l’expertise sur toutes
les questions ” a dit Ohanian. ” Nous etendrons notre cooperation
dans le cadre des programmes existants “.

AFFICHAGE DE NOUVELLES D’ARMENIE MAGAZINE DANS TOUS LES KIOSQUES
Ara

armenews.com
vendredi 6 avril 2012

Le numero d’avril de Nouvelles d’Armenie Magazine, qui publie ce moi ci
une double interview des deux favoris a la presidence de la Republique
fait cette semaine l’objet d’un affichage dans tous les kiosques de
France. Dans ce numero, tant Nicolas Sarkozy que Francois Hollande,
s’engagent a faire voter dès le debut de leur mandat un nouveau projet
de loi, propose par leur gouvernement, pour penaliser le negationnisme
du genocide des Armeniens.

Une revendication qui touche a la dignite humaine et qui figure
au coeur des demandes de la communaute armenienne de France, issue
des rescapes du genocide de 1915, lequel est toujours en butte a un
negationnisme international de l’etat turc.

YEREVAN WILL OFFICIALLY BE ANNOUNCED AS BOOK CAPITAL ON APRIL 22

UNESCO has announced Yerevan to be Book capital on 2012. Cultural
councellor of the Yerevan Municipality Aram Suqiasyan announced
during the press conference today that Yerevan Municipality started
the preparations already. Official ceremony of announcing Yerevan as
Book Capital will take place on April 22.

“On April 22 Buenos-Aires Mayor will hand the title to the Yerevan
Mayor. Nearly 60 officials are expected to visit Yerevan on that day
and many Mayors will be among them”, Municipality fellow-worker said.

A. Suqiasyan noted that 23 small scenes will be built in Yerevan to
celebrate the events. Some events will be organized for the children,
book-selling points will be opened and open-air book fairs will be
organized. “On May 5-June 10 20 book-selling points will be settled in
Yerevan and the publishers will present their works. The main events
will be held in Matenadaran and Liberty Square”, the speaker noted.

A. Suqiasyan said further that England and China also presented
applications to be announced as Book Capital 2012 by UNESCO but just
Armenia was elected as the 500th anniversary of Armenian printing is
also celebrated in Armenia this year. As the speaker informed two book
stores will be opened on the eve of the festival. According to him in
frame of the program Moscow days in Yerevan will be announced on April
5-7 and April 25-27 Saint-Petersburg days in Yerevan are announced.

ARMENIA OFRECE SU TERRITORIO PARA RADAR RUSO DE DEFENSA ANTIMISIL

RIA Novosti
04/04/2012

Armenia esta dispuesta a ofrecer su territorio para que Rusia instale
allí un radar de alerta temprana sobre lanzamientos de misiles,
declaro hoy el primer ministro armenio, Tigran Sarkisyan, en una
entrevista al diario ruso Kommersant.

Las conversaciones al respecto podran iniciarse, si Rusia no consigue
acordar con Azerbaiyan una prorroga del arriendo del radar de Gabala,
afirmo Sarkisyan. “Creo que incluso puede haber ventajas, puesto que
Armenia es un país montañoso. La cobertura sería mas amplia”, dijo.

Instalado en territorio azerbaiyano con el fin de detectar lanzamientos
de misiles balísticos, el radar de Gabala formo parte del sistema de
defensa antimisil en la URSS aunque Rusia siguio usandolo tambien en
el período postsovietico. En 2002 firmo con Azerbaiyan un contrato de
arriendo que vence el proximo 24 de diciembre. El Ministerio ruso de
Defensa mantiene negociaciones para prolongarlo y espera terminarlas
hacia junio.

Fuentes de Defensa y de la cancillería rusa citadas por Kommersant
en marzo pasado afirmaron que Azerbaiyan pretende subir el importe
del arriendo de siete a 300 millones de dolares anuales.

GOVERNMENT TO ORGANIZE BUSINESS FORUM FOR ARMENIAN AND CYPRIOT BUSINESSMEN

news.am
April 04, 2012 | 17:20

YEREVAN. – Armenian PM Tigran Sargsyan received on Wednesday Cypriot
FM Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis.

Premier Sargsyan stated that the Armenian Government is ready to
organize a business-forum with the participation of Armenian and
Cypriot businessmen.

“I am glad to see high level bilateral relations. We should deepen
and strengthen them. Based on the great economic potential, we should
elaborate projects promoting development of the economic ties,”
Sargsyan said.

Cypriot FM said that her visit will promote intensification of
multi-sided Armenian-Cypriot relations, including the economic
cooperation, governmental press service informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Cyprus is also ready to assist Armenia in various fields, as well as
in reforms and installing the European standards.

As for the Armenia-EU cooperation, it is deepening and talks on
Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) will launch soon. The
sides also touched upon Armenia’s economic policy, including export
industry policy, construction of a new nuclear power plant and other
economic projects.

WILL ALIK SARGSYAN BE ARRESTED?

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 16:22:02 – 04/04/2012

One of the Armenian papers published information referring to its
sources that the ex Chief of police Alik Sargsyan may be arrested in
connection with the case relating to the theft of weapons from the
police. The paper writes that the commander of internal troops has
recently been fired because of the theft of weapons, and, supposedly,
the traces lead to Alik Sargsyan.

It is noteworthy that the rumors on Alik Sargsyan’s upcoming arrest
got activated after the statement of the foreign head of the Traffic
Police Margar Ohanyan who promised to make scandalous revelations.

Then, Alik Sargsyan asked to free Margar stating in his interview to
Radio Freedom, that people need to be forgiven their mistakes moreover
Margar paid the necessary means to the budget.

But rumors that Alik Sargsyan’s affairs are not good started after the
arrest of the former head of the Criminal Investigation Department
Hovhannes Tamamyan. In the press, along with the arrest of Ohanyan
and Tamamyan, there were “leakages” that allegedly a plot against the
current government was uncovered. It was said that a group of people
– supporters of former President Robert Kocharyan reportedly agreed
on the change of government, and among them there were high-ranking
police officers, including one who was later arrested. Alik Sargsyan’s
subsequent resignation was also tied up with this issue.

It is interesting that the resignation of the former speaker Hovik
Abrahamyan is also connected with this case. Even though he is
appointed Head of the Republican election headquarters, the press
immediately said that Serzh Sargsyan did so not to leave Abrahamyan
far.

Our sources in the Ararat region say Abrahamyan’s clan which
representatives run for the parliament through the Republican lists,
are working hard for the Prosperous Armenia Party.

Taking into account the fact that Hovik Abrahamyan is a relative of
the RPA leader Gagik Tsarukyan, these rumors don’t seem ungrounded.

But it is noteworthy that Alik Sargsyan’s name, who is also fro Ararat
region, is not mentioned in this relation.

A BOOK ABOUT ARMENIAN ENERGY ISSUES PUBLISHED IN YEREVAN

/ARKA/
April 4, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, April 4. /ARKA/. A book about the issues of energy security
in Armenia in the context of geopolitical interests of Russia in
South Caucasus was issued in the Armenian publishing-house “Antares”.

The book includes studies of main energy projects implemented by
Russia in Armenia. In particular, issues of transit potential of gas
pipeline Iran-Armenia were considered, participation of “Gasprom”
in modernization of 5th power block analyzed, on the basis of which
energy policy conducted by Russia in Armenia was characterized.

Author of the book, PhD in Political Science Vahe Davtyan analyzed the
dynamics of tariff increase of Russian natural gas for the Armenian
consumers. Special attention was paid to political aspects of operation
of Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).

In the book the author tried to analyze the category “energy diplomacy”
which is an important segment of establishment of foreign policy in
XXI century in Armenia and suggested a series of events aimed at the
creation and increase of “energy image” of the country.

The book is envisaged for scientific workers, specialists in the field
of international relations dealing with political problems of energy
security, as well as for those who is interested in this topic.

Davtyan’s book is a scientific study of theoretical and
scientific-practical importance. The book studies actual problems
of Russian energy policy on the example of Armenia and Caucasus in
general”, noted in his book review Doctor of Historical Sciences,
Prof. Vladimir Degoyev.

He said that he is the first time studying a number of poorly studied
and controversial issues.

“Mobilization of various documentary material and its creative
interpretation allowed the author to break the stereotypes in many of
them. The first time the author combined the works of his predecessors
in the general context of the topic, critically understood and analyzed
them, significantly filled the existing material with new interests
and serious discoveries on the basis of earlier unknown sources,
thus managing to show the objective and comprehensive picture of
the establishment and operation of energy system of the country”,
said Degoyev.

REAL BULLETS FIRED AT “ARMENIAN SOLDIER” DURING ANTI-ARMENIAN STAGING IN TURKEY

news.am
April 04, 2012 | 10:01

A tragic-comical incident occurred during yet another anti-Armenian
presentation in Turkey, which is sponsored by the country’s
authorities.

This time the staging, which continued to spread enmity and hatred
toward the Armenians, was organized in Van Province’s Arces city,
which had suffered the most from the October 23, 2011 earthquake.

Instead of eliminating the aftermaths of the devastating quake,
ArcesCity Hall wasted time on staging an anti-Armenian presentation
at the heart of the city, and along the lines of the 94th anniversary
of “liberating” Arces “from the Armenians,” during which the “hero”
Turkish soldiers “liberated” the lands from the Armenians.

But during the event a person by the name of Murat Alpsalaz, who
was playing the part of an Armenian soldier, fell on the ground, and
he was drenched in blood. He was seriously injured and subsequently
taken to hospital.

The prosecutor’s office launched an investigation to find out how
real bullets were put in the weapons used during the performance.

ONLY ONE ELECTION WAS HELD WITHOUT FRAUD – FORMER ARMENIAN FM

news.am
April 04, 2012 | 14:26

YEREVAN. – All of Armenia’s previous elections-except for one-were
conducted with fraud, Armenia’s former FM Vartan Oskanian said on
Wednesday.

According to him, there is noting more important today than holding
free and fair elections. “All previous elections were conducted with
fraud, except for one [election],” Oskanian noted, but he did not
specify which election that was.

He also underscored the cooperation between the political forces that
run in the elections. “We have acquired a considerable experience by
holding nine elections. I would suggest that, by taking into account
all forms of possible [election] fraud, we should attempt to offer
a joint solution to it,” Vartan Oskanian noted.

Representatives from four political forces on Wednesday signed
an agreement on establishing a joint headquarters to oversee the
upcoming parliamentary elections. But the ruling coalition’s Republican
Party of Armenia representative Galust Sahakyan did not sign under
the agreement.