Author: Badalian Vardan

ARF-D CALLS ON YEREVAN’S MAYOR TO ORGANIZE PUBLIC HEARINGS ON ISSUE OF PARK ADJACENT TO MASHTOTS AVENUE

15:58 . 20/02

ARF-D Faction Leader Vahan Hovhannisyan has addressed a letter to
Yerevan’s Mayor Taron Margaryan on the issue of the park adjacent to
Mashtots Avenue.

The letter particularly reads: “The urban development, construction
works carried out by the city hall in Yerevan’s main avenue-Mashtots
Avenue have caused serious concern among the public, as well as a
wave of protest among a number of ecological and non-governmental
organizations.

Taking into consideration the fact that the works are carried out in
a green, public territory which is established in Yerevan’s master
plan, taking into consideration that the work implies Á change in the
life activity environment, as well as proceeding from the fact that
the actions carried out affect the vital interests of the capital
and its residents, being guided by Articles 12, 13, 14 of RA Law on
urban development, we ask you to organise public hearings as soon
as possible to inform about the city hall’s plan concerning the
above-mentioned territory, as well as to hear the point of view of
interested individuals and organisations”.

CSTO SECRETARY GENERAL TO DISCUSS STRATEGIC DOCUMENTS IN ARMENIA

NEWS.AM
February 21, 2012 | 14:45

YEREVAN. – CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha will discuss
strategic documents during the upcoming visit to Yerevan.

The meeting is scheduled for the midst of March, he said during the
space bridge Moscow-Astana-Minsk-Yerevan-Kiev-Chisinau on Tuesday
adding strategic documents are being drafted under the instruction
of the heads of CSTO member states and will be discussed with experts
during the meeting.

As for military-technical cooperation, Bordyuzha said that Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a cooperation memorandum during
his visit in 2010 to establish military enterprises.

DEFENSE MINISTRY INVESTIGATING CASE OF SOLDIER WHO DIED OF PNEUMONIA

epress.am
02.21.2012

At around 9:50 am on Feb. 20, rank-and-file soldier Narek Martirosyan
died after being admitted to the intensive care unit at the Ministry
of Defense’s Central Hospital days earlier.

The soldier, who had been serving in one of the units in
Nagorno-Karabakh, was admitted to hospital on Feb. 16 and diagnosed
with pneumonia.

Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia is currently gathering
materials in connection with the case and a forensic examination has
been assigned, senior officer with the public relations division at
the RA Defense Ministry investigation service Meri Sargsyan informed
Epress.am.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SLAMS AZERBAIJAN AHEAD OF EUROVISION

Tert.am
21.02.12

Amnesty International has published a report on Azerbaijan, slamming
the country for its poor human rights record ahead of the Eurovision
2012 song contest.

“Last May, Azerbaijan secured the right to host this year’s Eurovision
song contest thanks to its winning entry “Running Scared”. Only a few
months earlier, this is, quite literally, what hundreds of peaceful
protesters were doing in downtown Baku, as police violently sought
to silence them.

This May Azerbaijan will don its Sunday best as it welcomes thousands
of Eurovision visitors and basks in the international attention it
will bring. A multi-million dollar PR campaign is seeking to portray
the country as modern and progressive. Indeed there are achievements;
the country of over 9 million people has adult literacy rates of close
to 100 percent and its oil wealth is fuelling an economic boom that
is transforming Baku’s skyline,” reads the report.

The authors note that criticism of President Ilhjam Aliyev and leading
government figures is frequently punished, with the international
community seeming to have turned a deaf ear to the authoritarian rule.

“This crackdown on dissenting opinion is being facilitated by a muted
response from members of the international community, whose eyes would
appear to be more firmly fixed on petro-dollars and energy security
than the rights of ordinary Azeris,” they say.

The Amnesty International experts further slam the Azerbaijani
authorities for suppressing anti-government protests and imposing
threats and intimidation on civil society groups working on human
rights.

“Peaceful anti-government protest has effectively been criminalized
by banning demonstrations and imprisoning those who organize and
take part in them. Police use excessive force to break up peaceful,
but officially unsanctioned demonstrations. Threats and intimidation
against human rights defenders have been used together with legislative
and administrative means to shut down and deny registration to civil
society groups working on democracy and human rights,” they note.

The authors further voice concerns over the deplorable situation of
human rights NGOs which often face pressure and harassment and denied
registration or closed on arbitrary grounds.

*On 4 March 2011, three local NGOs located in Ganja, the Election
Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre, Demos Public Association
and the Ganja Regional Information Centre, were evicted from their
premises by the authorities without any formal explanation or apparent
legal grounds.

*The branches of two international organizations, the National
Democratic Institute and the Human Rights House in Baku were shut
down on 7 March and 10 March respectively on the grounds that they
had failed to comply with registration requirements.

*On 11 August the office of Leyla Yunus, director of the Institute
for Peace and Democracy was destroyed, days after she had spoken
against the government-endorsed forced evictions and the demolition
of buildings in central Baku as part of a reconstruction project. The
demolition began without any prior notice and despite a court order
banning any demolition attempts on the property before 13 September
2011,” the experts note.

MAXIME VERNER : ENCORE 147 PARRAINAGES A RECUEILLIR
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
mardi 21 fevrier 2012

Avec ses 22 ans et son dynamisme debordant, Maxime Verner, de mère
d’origine armenienne (Krekdjian), ne baisse pas les bras, bien au
contraire.

Alors que certains tenors politiques ont renonce, le semillant
President de l’Association des Jeunes de France, candidat a l’election
presidentielle, très conscient de l’enjeu, entend aller au terme de
la demarche.

Une panoplie de propositions bien etudiees en main, il sait qu’il
n’a aucune chance de figurer dans le peloton de tete du premier tour.

Mais, grâce aux milliers de citoyens qu’il a rencontre durant son Tour
de France des villes et villages, il estime qu’il lui est possible
d’atteindre au moins 4% des suffrages exprimes. Mais avant cela, il lui
faudra reunir les 500 fameuses signatures qui lui permettront d’exposer
publiquement son programme dont il souhaite que certaines dispositions
soient appliquees par ceux qui atteindront le stade supreme et avec
lesquels il pourrait negocier ses voix. Car contrairement aux reports
incertains de voix des autres candidats, les siennes representeraient
la volonte exprimee d’un choix specifique et delibere de ses ” futurs
electeurs “.

Pour faire entendre la voix de la jeunesse Maxime Verner doit reunir
encore 147 parrainages avant la date fatidique du 16 mars 2012, jour
du depôt des signatures au Conseil constitutionnel. Il le dit sans
ambages, ” j’ai besoin de vous ! ” pour convaincre les municipalites
que cette candidature est tout sauf une plaisanterie. De fait son
parcours temoigne de ses convictions et de son desir de voir les
jeunes se re-interesser a la politique. Il revendique par ailleurs
la paternite de la loi du 14 avril 2011 abaissant l’âge d’eligibilite
des deputes de 23 a 18 ans, et de 30 a 24 ans pour les senateurs.

Lettre aux Maires de France

UNE LIAISON FERROVIAIRE IRAN-ARMENIE ” REALISTE ” POUR LA RUSSIE
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 21 fevrier 2012

La Russie reste interessee a un projet ambitieux de construire un
chemin de fer connectant l’Armenie a l’Iran voisin malgre ” des
problèmes ” crees par la confrontation sur la question du nucleaire
civil entre Teheran et l’Occident selon le president de la compagnie
du reseau national du chemin de fer russe, RZD.

” Nous pensons que ce projet a des chances realistes d’etre execute
mais cela pourrait etre fait seulement dans le cadre d’une cooperation
entre etats et ne depend pas seulement de nous ” a dit Vladimir
Yakunin a la fin d’une visite en Armenie.

Vladimir Yakunin est arrive a Erevan pour presenter Viktor Rebets,
le nouveau directeur de la compagnie du chemin de fer d’Armenie geree
par RZD. Il a aussi rencontre le President Serge Sarkissian.

Les gouvernements armenien et iranien ont officiellement approuve le
projet de chemin de fer en 2009. Mais ils doivent encore identifier
les sources concrètes de financement pour cette liaison ferroviaire
de 470 kilomètres qui passerait principalement par le territoire
armenien. Les evaluations officieuses de son coût total ont varie de
1 milliard de $ a 4 milliards de $.

La partie armenienne espère que des societes russes participeront
a la construction du chemin de fer et le financeront en partie . Le
gouvernement russe et RZD n’ont pas exclu une telle possibilite.

” Nous esperons qu’avec des efforts communs a la fois de la Russie
et de l’Armenie aussi bien que quelques pays tiers nous reussirons
après tout a realiser un plus moderne et peut-etre meme radicalement
nouveau système de communications pour l’Armenie ” avait dit Dmitry
Medvedev pendant des pourparlers avec Serge Sarkissian sur la question.

Vladimir Yakunin a affirme que le projet etait faisable meme si
bien 30 a 50 ans sont necessaire pour amortir les depenses. ” Et si
ce projet est lance la compagnie des Chemins de fer du Sud Caucase
participera certainement a son execution “” a-t-il dit, en ce qui
concerne la filiale armenienne de RZD.

Le fonctionnaire russe a note que les sanctions internationales
contre l’Iran creent ” un peu de problèmes ” entravant la cooperation
economique entre la Republique islamique et d’autres etats regionaux,
incluant l’Armenie. ” Nous croyons que la cooperation est beaucoup
plus efficace que n’importe quelle sanction imposee a l’Iran ” a-t-il
dit, repercutant la position officielle de Moscou envers le programme
nucleaire de Teheran.

Richard Giragosian, un apolitogue base a Erevan a suggere que la
Russie tient a employer le projet poure ” demontrer son pouvoir
et influence dans cette region ” et souligner son opposition avec
l’action militaire americaine ou israelienne contre l’Iran. ” Il est
trop tôt pour dire si le projet commencera et finira mais je vois une
nouvelle volonte politique de Moscou de s’en occuper plus serieusement
” a-t-il dit au service armenien de RFE/RL (Azatutyun.am).

321 GRADUATES OF CHILDREN’S HOMES ARMENIA HAVE APARTMENT ISSUE

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 20, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, ARMENPRESS: Every year children’s homes give
35-40 graduates but the apartment issue of part of them is not solved.

MP Anahit Bakhshyan said at the discussion of the issue today that
as of November 30, 2011, about 321 graduates need apartments, 111 of
the graduates are children without parental care.

Deputy labor and social affairs minister Filaret Berikyan said with
the 2003 program each graduate of children’s home was provided a
separate apartment where he/she wanted. This program ended in 2005. He
said the financial-economic crisis was the main reason of incomplete
implementation of 2008-2009 program.

“If the state has an opportunity and means it will by all means ensure
the children with apartments,” he said.

ARMENIA AMONG STATES WITH MOST WASTE

news.am
February 21, 2012 | 02:47

YEREVAN. – 11.5 million tons of waste was accumulated in Armenia on
2008. This was stated in the official website of Armenia’s Ministry
of Nature Protection. There was not any recent information but during
the past few years the waste quantity did not decrease in Armenia. 90
per cent of waste is accumulated in Armenia’s Syunik region, where
the largest commercial deposit in the country is located.

The amount of waste per capita is 3.5 tons in Armenia. This means
Armenia is first in the region.

According to the US BioCycle journal, in the USA the waste amount
per capita is 1.9 tons. The journal states that no other country in
the world has such results. As it seems, the journal is not familiar
with the statistics in Armenia.

RAFIK ABELIAN, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY STORIES: ARMENIAN MATH WHIZ NOW AN ICE CREAM ENTREPRENEUR
By KIRSTEN FAIRCHILD

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Feb 20 2012
CA

SANTA CRUZ — When Rafik Abelian was growing up, his ice cream choices
were limited to chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.

Born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia, Abelian also could only enjoy
ice cream in the summertime, the only time of year it was available.

Now 54, Abelian has truly broadened his ice cream horizons. In 2003
he opened a Cold Stone Creamery store on Pacific Avenue. As part of a
franchise, Abelian has eight flavors of ice cream that he must make
fresh daily, but there are between 100 and 150 additional flavors
that he can select to be made as well.

“What I’m eating the most of right now is a combination of dark
chocolate and coffee ice creams with walnuts, pecans and almonds
swirled together — yum, yum, yum,” said Abelian, a Scotts Valley
resident.

Opening and operating an ice cream franchise was a career move Abelian
never anticipated.

His affinity for mathematics was what brought him to the U.S. at the
age of 21, but he left Cal Poly Pomona a few credits shy of earning
his degree in industrial engineering to take an entry-level position
at Silicon Systems, Inc.

He was transferred from the company’s Tustin-based wafer-fabrication
plant to one on Santa Cruz’s Westside in 1995. Texas Instruments
bought Silicon Systems in 1997, and when the plant closed in late 2001,
Abelian held the title of planning manager.

Abelian turned down an offer to transfer within the company to remain
in the area. Unable to find similar

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work, Abelian began to contemplate changing careers. When a friend
suggested he open a Cold Stone Creamery store, Abelian didn’t even
know what she was talking about.

“The former Watsonville store hadn’t opened then, so I had never
heard of it,” Abelian said. “But then just a few days later my wife
and I happened to be at the Great Mall in Milpitas, and there was a
Cold Stone Creamery. I thought it was the best thing ever.”

Founded in 1988 by Donald and Susan Sutherland, Cold Stone Creamery
began as one store in Tempe, Ariz. The franchise is known for its
freshly made ice cream that has “mix-ins” consisting of dry and/or
wet toppings folded into it. The toppings are mixed together on top
of a 5-foot-long frozen granite stone.

“Any mix-in that goes into the ice cream, whether it is bananas
or strawberries or walnuts or chocolate chips, should have its own
flavor,” Abelian said. “We want a freshly roasted almond in chocolate
ice cream to still be crunchy and taste like a freshly roasted almond
while the ice cream tastes like chocolate. That’s what makes our ice
cream so good.”

BOX: GETTING TO KNOW Rafik Abelian

ESSENTIALS: A Scotts Valley resident, Abelian, 54, was born in Yerevan,
Armenia. Moved to the U.S. at 21. Married since 1987 to his wife
Magdalena. Has a daughter Karla Rodriguez, 32, who lives in Texas
with her family; son Jonathan, 24, lives in Scotts Valley. Opened
his Cold Stone Creamery store in 2003.

HOBBIES: Plays Sudoku, chess and mahjong. Listens to the Eagles,
Jim Croce and James Taylor.

NIGHTLY DESSERT GROWING UP: Fruit

FAVORITE FRUIT: Bananas

ON WORKING downtown: ‘Pacific Avenue is the Times Square of Santa
Cruz. It’s just so alive and vibrant. It’s never boring. Some people
don’t like it, but I’m happy to walk around and enjoy the other
businesses. It’s worked for me.’

NEWEST MENU ADDITION: ‘We just started blueberry-pomegranate frozen
yogurt. On Monday we made raspberry frozen yogurt for the first time.

I haven’t even tried it yet.’

TOP-SELLING SIGNATURE CREATION: Birthday Cake Remix: cake batter ice
cream with rainbow sprinkles, brownie and fudge.

WHAT’S TAPED ABOVE HIS DESK: A June 12, 2008 receipt for $24.50. ‘A
90-pound UCSC student came in and ordered a large ice cream with every
single mix-in we had out. We had 29. We had to serve it to him in a
half-gallon container. He sat down and ate the whole thing. It was
a dare. He came back a year later and told me that he was so sick
after he left. I thought he might have been.’

WHY NEW YEAR’S EVE REVELERS LOVE HIM: ‘We usually stay open until 2
a.m. This year, we stayed open to 3 a.m.’

ABELIAN’S COLD STONE CREAMERY STORE: 1129 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz.

Call 423-7015.

EU LAUNCHES TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH ARMENIA
By Martin Banks

TheParliament.com

Feb 20 2012

The EU has launched negotiations on a “deep and comprehensive” free
trade area with Armenia.

The move, announced on Monday, is designed to boost economic growth
and investment.

European trade commissioner Karel De Gucht said the negotiations will
cover matters that have become “crucial to a modern, transparent and
predictable trade and investment environment”.

They will not only tackle market access conditions but also focus on
regulatory approximation, which, says the commissioner, will help to
achieve a closer economic integration of Armenia with the EU.

He said, “The opening of free trade negotiations mark a turning point
in our trade relations with Armenia. We are entering a new phase that
will bring our economic ties to a new level of depth and ambition.

“The EU is Armenia’s first trading partner and a deep and comprehensive
free trade area will give Armenia a more favourable access to the
European single market thereby helping to boost economic growth in
the country.”

His comments are echoed by European enlargement and neighbourhood
policy commissioner tefan Fule, who said, “This is a further sign
of the strengthening of our political and economic ties.

“Launching such negotiations is one more step towards closer economic
integration which is one of the cornerstones of our relations with
countries of Eastern partnership.”

He said the free trade area will be part of the broader association
agreement which has been negotiated with Armenia since July 2010.

An EU source said, “The EU aims to enhance political stability and
security in this country by means of closer economic integration with
the EU.

“The free trade area is expected to diversify and strengthen Armenia’s
export capacity and effectively open the way to access the EU market
of 500 million consumers.

“Armenia needs to continue its work towards reaching a stable,
transparent and predictable economic environment. This is essential
to attract foreign direct investment inflows, leading to job creation
and long-term growth.

“The most important gains for Armenia lie therefore behind the border,
in regulatory reforms, and as such will impact on its long-term
development perspective.”

The EU has been negotiating an association agreement with Armenia
since July 2010.

The launch of the trade negotiations is conditional upon Armenia
fulfilling a set of “key recommendations” which cover reforms in what
the EU says are key regulatory areas related to trade, in order to
prepare Armenia for the upcoming negotiations.