Author: Badalian Vardan

SOS RACISME : PROFANATION DU MEMORIAL DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN DE LYON

Publie le : 02-04-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
propose ce communique de presse publie sur le site du SOS Racisme
Rhône le 30 mars 2015.

SOS Racisme Rhône

Communique de presse

“La profanation d’un lieu de memoire est un acte raciste !”

Dans la nuit du 28 au 29 mars, le memorial lyonnais du genocide des
Armeniens et des victimes de tous les crimes contre l’humanite du
XXème siècle (situe place Antonin Poncet) a ete une nouvelle fois
vandalise. SOS Racisme Rhône – Agir pour l’egalite exprime sa vive
indignation face a cet acte qui vient s’ajouter a la longue serie de
degradations a l’encontre de ce memorial qui symbolise la solidarite
des peuples et la volonte de la Ville de Lyon d’oeuvrer pour la
prevention des genocides. L’association souhaite reaffirmer que

POPE FRANCIS WILL FORMALLY PROCLAIM ST. GREGORY OF NAREK ‘DOCTOR OF CHURCH’ ON APRIL 12

09:46, 02 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Pope Francis formally will proclaim a 10th-century Armenian monk as
a doctor of the church when he celebrates a liturgy April 12 with
leaders and faithful of the Armenian Catholic Church, Catholic News
Service reports.

The Vatican had announced in February the pope’s decision to confer
the title “doctor of the church” on St. Gregory of Narek. The title
indicates that the saint’s writings are considered to offer key
theological insights for the faith.

Earlier, the Vatican had announced that the pope would celebrate
a liturgy April 12 with members of the Armenian community, who are
preparing to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide
April 24.

Pope Francis will concelebrate the liturgy with Armenian Catholic
Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, the Vatican said.

St. Gregory of Narek is considered one of the leading figures of
Armenian theology and thought, and many of his prayers are included
in the Armenian Divine Liturgy.

He was born in 950 in the Armenian town of Andzevatsik, located in
present-day Turkey. He entered a monastery at a young age and was
ordained a priest at 25. He lived at the monastery at Narek his whole
priestly life and taught at the monastic school.

His best-known writings include a commentary on the Song of Songs
and his “Book of Lamentations,” now commonly known as “Narek.”

“Narek” is considered his masterpiece. It includes 95 prayers and
has been translated into more than 30 languages.

St. Gregory died in Narek around 1005. His feast day in the Armenian
churches is Oct. 13; he is remembered in the Roman Catholic Church
Feb. 27.

Designating him a doctor of the church, Pope Francis will bring to
36 the number of saintly theologians to hold the title.

AZERBAIJAN TO EXPAND ITS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

April 2 2015

Politician Tigran Abrahamyan arrived at this conclusion after the
latest border incidents –

Border incidents are continued since August of last year and this
year more intensively. Do you also think that the only reason for it
is the centennial of the Genocide? Aren’t there any political
interests of great powers, which resulted in the creation of this
situation? Especially since the president of Azerbaijan calls the
international agreements a “scrap of paper”.

– I do not connect the border incidents with Genocide centennial.

Surely, in terms of combat duty, April is expected to be a difficult
month, truly, there are rapid activation risks by the opponent.

Azerbaijan’s military-political elite solves tactical problems
with the help of border incidents, which occur at different times
in different forms. And the statement by the President of Azerbaijan
regarding qualifying the international agreements as a “scrap
of paper”, the best demonstrates the attitude that Azerbaijan
displays towards the agreements reached during bipartite or
multipartite meetings.

– Looking back to the border incidents starting from the cease-fire
up to the recent days, Azerbaijan has passed from random actions to
subversive war. What does this suggest? Which will be the next step?

– Currently, Azerbaijan had adopted the line of
“sniper-subversive war”, aiming at possibly causing
great damage to the Armenian side, both material, human and
moral-psychological. As to the sequence of steps, the situation is as
follows: firstly, Azerbaijan was breaking the ceasefire with irregular
fires, later on, the snipers and subversive and intelligence forces
were actively engaged in the game, afterwards, after the changes
in tactics, the penetrations of subversive and intelligence forces
turned into diversion and special detachment actions implemented
in the direction of the Armenian combat positions. Simultaneously,
Azerbaijan employs weapons, which are long-ranged and quite big in
size. Today, mines and grenade launchers are “working”
in the front line, and, unfortunately, the official reports cover the
use of it more frequently. Next, Azerbaijan will expand the weapons
used against the Armenian positions and units, the foundations of
which are visible today.

– Should Armenia’s approach be only defensive? Recently, in one
of his speeches, the President clearly mentioned that the Armenian
side from now on would not only be protective but also offensive.

– The opponent’s actions compel us to be attacking. It is an
effective way to prevent provocations.

– How would interpret Serzh Sargsyan’s recently voiced concern
about arming Azerbaijan? Wasn’t it belated? And why there were
no responds from Russia? The next day after the statement, Azerbaijan
conducted subversive activities. Was it Russia’s response?

– I do not think that President Serzh Sargsyan’s statement is
directly associated with the followed by incident, because still a few
days prior to this incident, Azerbaijan was already active in different
directions of the front line, by creating risks for penetration of
subversive groups. And the President’s statement was not new,
moreover belated, as such kind of statements were voiced by the
President also during the CSTO meetings, to the point, at that time
Serzh Sargsyan did not only talk about the risks of supplying arms
to Azerbaijan, but also the need to agreed actions in international
organizations by the CSTO member states.

– For a long time, Azerbaijan is building new footholds on the
border. What are the Azerbaijanis preparing for? Why the Armenian
armed forces do not prevent those activities?

– The engineering works in the front line are ongoing processes that
are carried out on both sides. Azerbaijan suffers many casualties
in the result of punitive actions by Armenian troops, therefore it
is trying to strengthen the sections on the border line that are
considered to be weak. Establishment of engineering buildings is also
a way to achieve positional advantages. What comes to the response
activities by the Armenian armed forces under these situations, then
the military sector, especially in the case of unfinished war, do
not always enable receiving details about the carried out operations.

Interviewed by Nelly GRIGORYAN

Read more at:

RUSSIAN COMPANIES CAN ENTER EU MARKET FROM ARMENIA ON PRIVILEGED REGIME

11:29, 2 April, 2015

YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. Russian “IT Summit 2015” has kicked
off in Armenia’s capital Yerevan. The representatives of about 100
prominent Russian companies take part in the event. The Vice Prime
Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Minister of International Economic
Integration and Reforms of the Republic of Armenia Vache Gabrielyan
made remarks at the opening of “IT Summit 2015”.

As reports “Armenpress”, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of
Armenia Vache Gabrielyan assured that Armenia is extremely interested
in the Russian companies’ activities here, particularly representing
the IT sector.

Among other things, Vache Gabrielyan underscored: “I am hopeful that
Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union will become an
impetus for that. We have such cases, when the Russian capital flow
to Armenia is increased due to the country’s attractiveness. For
instance, we can mention particularly “Rusal Armenal” company, which
is a offshoot organization of “Rusal” company.”

“The aforesaid company operates in Armenia for a long time and
currently exports its products to Europe on a much better conditions,
than its Russian counterpart. As we have GPS+ privileged regime with
the EU, while Russia lacks it at the present moment,” Armenia’s Vice
Prime Minister concluded.

LA PRODUCTION DE BRANDY EN LEGERE BAISSE

ARMENIE

La production de brandy en Armenie a baisse de 6,6% a un total de
16 942 500 litres entre Janvier et Novembre 2014, par rapport a la
meme periode de 2013 a rapporte le Service national de la statistique
d’Armenie.

Une baisse a aussi ete observee dans la production de vin dans le
pays de – 13,6% a environ 5 082 400 litres dans la periode consideree.

La production de vodka a chute de 5,9% a 8 387 900 litres en onze mois.

Un total de 400 400 litres de champagne (0,2%) et 22935000 litres de
bière (en augmentation de 29,6%) a ete produit dans la periode.

mercredi 1er avril 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

FRESNO COUNTY SUPERVISOR ANDREAS BORGEAS TO OBSERVE UPCOMING NAGORNO KARABAKH ELECTIONS

09:26, 01 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Fresno County Supervisor Andreas Borgeas will serve as a political
observer of upcoming national elections in the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic, The Fresno Bee reports.

Borgeas will be gone from April 25 to May 5. He and two others from the
United States were among those invited to assess Nagorno Karabakh’s
election process by international election standards. They, along
with representatives from other countries including Mexico, Argentina
and Canada, will observe the ballot distribution and calculation,
examine the election site and make sure the election is free and fair.

“It’s a process that we take for granted in America because it’s part
of who we are, but in other areas of the world they have to fight
and persevere to make that process a reality,” he said.

The Nagorno Karabakh ambassador in Washington D.C. nominated Borgeas
as an elected official specialized in international law, which he
teaches at the San Joaquin College of Law.

In a formal invitation letter, Ashot Ghulyan, chairman of the
national assembly, said the parliamentary elections May 3 represent
the sixth time since Nagorno Karabakh’s declaration of independence
that residents will exercise their right to vote.

“We see the upcoming elections as yet another opportunity to reaffirm
the adherence of Nagorno Karabakh people to universal freedoms and
liberties and therefore attach great importance to international
election observation mission,” Ghulyan wrote. “Thus, on behalf of
the National Assembly, I extend to you an invitation to observe the
upcoming elections in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, guaranteeing
unimpeded access to all stages of the election process.”

The Turkish Foreign Ministry called the parliamentary elections
“illegal” and “an apparent violation of international law.”

Borgeas said his visit is a matter of pride for local Armenians. His
wife is Armenian and her grandmother survived the Armenian genocide.

“On a personal level, I think the Armenians in Fresno will be proud to
know they are represented as observers in this very important election
that promotes the free and sovereign state of Nagorno Karabakh,”
he said.

The election comes on the heels of the 100th anniversary of the
genocide. Borgeas said the existential threat to Armenians is not over.

“On a genocide-related level, this means a lot,” he said of the
election. “Between the Turks in the west and Azeris in the east,
Armenians are still precariously situated.”

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in April
2013, which maintains that residents of Nagorno Karabakh have elected
to govern themselves and that their wishes should be respected. The
supervisors weighed in out of respect for the views of many in the
Valley’s large Armenian community.

Fresno was the first county in the United States to take a position on
the matter, although some states had passed similar resolutions. In
May, the California Assembly passed a resolution recognizing the
region’s independence.

The Nagorno Karabakh president visited Fresno in November.

IT’S HIGH TIME NORWAY AND OTHER COUNTRIES RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: EXPERT ON NANSEN

11:44, 1 April, 2015

YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS: The Norwegian historian and expert on
Nansen Carl Emil Vogt is strictly distressed by the position of his
country on the Armenian Genocide. Armenpress presents an exclusive
interview with Carl Emil Vogt, the biographer of the great humanist
Fridtjof Nansen, where he touches upon the position of Norway on the
Armenian Genocide, the heritage, left by Nansen and the necessity of
international recognition on the Armenian Genocide centennial.

– Dear Mr. Vogt, taking into account Fridtjof Nansen’s activities
aimed to protect the violated rights of Armenian people which found
refuge in foreign countries due to Armenian Genocide, how would you
assess Norway’s nowadays position on the Armenian Genocide?

– While for instance Norway’s Scandinavian neighbor Sweden officially
recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Norway does not. The hesitance to
call the Genocide by its correct name has of course to do with Norway’s
membership in NATO. Turkey is therefore an ally, and as the Turkish
government is very active in preventing the use of the word Genocide
globally, Norway avoids the term. I myself deliberately used the term
in the exhibition Transit at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo in 2011,
an exhibition to celebrate Fridtjof Nansen’s 150th anniversary. The
Turkish ambassador to Norway protested formally to the Director of
the Nobel Institute. The protest was never answered.

While Sweden is not a NATO country, it is however true that several
NATO countries formally recognize the Genocide.

– Norway gave a birth to such a great humanist as Nansen. Don’t
you think that Norway commits a sin before Nansen’s memory denying
Armenian Genocide?

– It is true that Norway has taken up the position favored by many
countries that the term should not be used. I do think
this is a very deplorable and tragic mistake.

– You have done many researches on Nansen and his activities. What
events will you highlight regarding the Armenian refuges?

– Nansen was a true friend of the Armenian people. From very early on,
he was aware of the mass killings of Christians, Armenians and Greeks
in particular, in the Ottoman Empire. As the League of Nations’ High
Commissioner for Refugees he saw the sufferings of the Armenians. But
it was really as head of an expert commission of the League of Nations
to Soviet Armenia in 1925 that Nansen became a dedicated friend of
the Armenian cause. He saw villages destroyed during the genocide and
was told horrible stories of what had happened. This made a great
impression on Nansen and changed him forever. For the rest of his
lifetime he fought the Armenian struggle.

– As a scholar how will you contribute to raising awareness about
the Armenian Genocide for future generations?

– When approached by people who wonders if they should use the term
“genocide”, I encourage them to do so. I tell them that this is not
controversial, but a fact only denied by Turkish authorities. I use
the term whenever I have the opportunity. I will also try and promote
knowledge about the Armenian Genocide as a scholar.

– What is your call to Norwegian people, to Turkey and to international
community ahead of the 100th anniversary of the biggest crime against
humanity?

– It is about time that Norway and other countries officially recognize
the Armenian Genocide. It is already done by France, Canada, Sweden,
Poland, Lithuania and many other countries. Norway, Fridtjof Nansen’s
country, should follow. Turkey should acknowledge historical facts
and stop persecuting people who only express their opinion on the
matter. Turkey should fully commit to basic human rights like the
freedom of expression.

– Are you planning to visit Armenia in future?

– I visited Armenia in 1999 and was impressed that Nansen’s memory is
still alive among ordinary Armenians. Armenia is a beautiful country
with a rich and interesting culture, and I would love to go back. The
memory of the sight of the distant Mount Ararat from Yerevan is always
with me.

Interview by Araks Kasyan

GAZPROM ARMENIA’S INVESTMENTS TO TOTAL ABOUT AMD 11 BILLION IN 2015

YEREVAN, April 1. /ARKA/. The Public Services Regulatory Commission
of Armenia upheld today Gazprom Armenia CJSC’s investment program
for 2015 that costs AMD 10.99 billion (VAT excluded).

Abgar Budaghyan, chief of the Public Services Regulatory Commission’s
division in charge of monitoring licensed activities and investment
programs, speaking on the matter at today’s meeting of the commission,
said that AMD 1.3 billion will be invested in 2015 in reconstruction
and expansion of the Abovyan underground gas reservoir, in accordance
with this program.

In his words, on reconstruction of gas-conveying system and another
work aimed at restoration of the system will be spent 2.7 billion
and AMD 577 million respectively.

The company will also revamp its gas-distributing system, and this
is estimated to cost AMD 1.97 billion.

Another AMD 3.64 billion will be invested in different measures to
be taken to restore the system.

Besides, the company earmarks AMD 391.4 million to connect new gas
consumers to the network in 2015.

“It was initially planned to invest AMD 11.7 billion in 2015, but the
Public Services Regulatory Commission proposed to cut the expenses
that are not connected with license, such as spending on cars, which
shouldn’t impact the company’s consumer prices,” Budaghyan said.

Ashot Hakobyan, chief of the company’s technical unit, on his side,
said that the money mentioned in the company’s investment program will
be spent on repairing core gas pipelines, modernizing gas-measuring
stations, carrying out the work prompted by increase of the level of
Lake Sevan etc.

Giving its approval to the gas company’s investment program, the
commission obliged the company to submit also its investment program
for 2016-2018.

The commission also said that in 2013 the company spent AMD 395
million in addition to the amount mentioned in its investment program
on extra work.

In 2014, the company’s investments totaled AMD 9.27 billion. The
2014-2016 investment program that cost AMD 37.3 billion, of which
AMD 25 billion was planned to be spent on gas-conveying system and
AMD 12 billion on gas-distributing system.

Gazprom Armenia CJSC imports natural gas from Russia and distributes
in Armenia. In December 2013 Russia’s Gazprom sealed a contract with
Gazprom Armenia to export natural gas to Armenia in 2014-2018.

In accordance with its contractual obligations, Gazprom sends up to
2.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Armenia at prices depending
on price-making processes in Russia. ($1 – 471.13). –0—–

MAN STABBING OPPOSITION ACTIVIST SURRENDERS TO POLICE

14:48 | April 1,2015 | Politics

Kamo Khachatryan, the man wanted for the March 28 stabbing incident
in Gyumri city, has given himself up to police after a declared hint
for him.

Hrach Mirzoyan, a member of the Founding Parliament group, was
hospitalized shortly after an unknown knife-wielding man inflicted
stab wounds on him during a rally in Gyumri on Saturday. The stabbing
incident took place shortly after a group of young men began pelting
eggs at participants of the small rally. The Founding Parliament
leaders blamed the police inactivity for the violence, saying that
the authorities were behind the ‘provocation’ and those people were
‘provocateurs’ hired by the authorities to thwart the protest. The
radical opposition group also posted on the Internet a photograph
of a man who it said stabbed Mirzoyan. The man was identified as
Kamo Khachatryan.

“Khachatryan has surrendered to police and confessed to the crime,”
Sona Truzyan, Adviser to the Investigative Committee’s Chair, said
to A1+.

Hrach Mirzoyan was stabbed in the abdomen in the melee and is still
in hospital.

BURGLAR MELTS STOLEN GOLD, SEND IT OUT OF UAE

Emirates 24/7, UAE
March 31 2015

Jewellery worth Dh320,000 and Dh60,000 in cash stolen from flat in
Dubai’s Discovery Gardens

By Eman Al Baik

A jobless Armenian, along with accomplices, allegedly broke into a
woman’s house and stole Dh320,000 worth of jewellery in addition to
Dh60,000 in cash.

The gang melted the jewellery and smuggled the gold in boxes outside
the country, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

HH, 32, and his accomplices broke into the woman’s flat when she was
away from 7.15am to 6.15pm on November 21, 2012.

The victim RH, 40, Indian marketing manager, returned to her home
in Discovery Gardens around 6.15pm and when she opened the door,
she saw the house was in a big mess. She called the police and also
found out that her jewellery worth Dh320,000 and Dh60,000 in cash
had been stolen.

A number of thefts had been committed around the same time and the
thieves had followed the same modus operandi. Police arrested HH
in another case and confronted him with this case. He admitted to
burgling the flat with the help of two others.

The accused admitted that they usually knock on the door and if nobody
opens it, they break the lock with a screw driver and burgle the flat.

He admitted that they had divided the cash amongst themselves and
melted the jewellery in a hotel in Abu Dhabi before smuggling it
outside the country by plane. His two accomplices sold the gold and
his share from the operation was Dh20,000 from the cash and Dh50,000
from selling the gold.

The court will reconvene on May 3.