Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIA’S COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS POSTPONES PROCEDURE FOR EXAMINING SARKISSOV’S CASE BEATING WIFE TO DEATH

news.am
Dec 20 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Court of criminal Appeals should have cast a
verdict for Ioannis Sarkissov on Tuesday, who had beaten his wife
Zaruhi Petrosyan to death. The session was postponed till December 27.

Sarkissov was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment for beating his
20-year-old wife to death. His lawyer appeals the decision claiming
that Zaruhi committed a suicide by drinking poison.

Armenian News-NEWS.am earlier informed that Sarkissov was sentenced to
ten years of imprisonment for cruelly beating his young wife. During
the trial Sarkissov did not plead guilty.

Sarkissov’s lawyers are claiming that she had drunk poison, while the
forensic examination revealed she was killed as a result of beating.

ROMAN AMOYAN – BEST SPORTSMEN OF THE YEAR

ARMENPRESS
DECEMBER 20, 2011
YEREVAN

Champion of Europe in Greco-Roman style wrestling Roman Amoyan is
recognized the best sportsman of Armenia for 2011. An official from
Armenia’s Republican Federation of Sport Commentators told Armenpress
that as a result of polls the best ten sportsmen of 2011 have been
decided. Forty-two mass media representatives participated in the
polls.

The second comes bronze-medal winner of world championship Arsen
Julfalakyan, followed by grand master Levon Aronian. Football player
Henrik Mkhitaryan, champion of Universiada Aghasi Aghasyan, Greco-Roman
style wrestler Arthur Alexanyan, football player Yura Movsisyan,
and others follow them. The best team has been recognized the chess
team which became the world champion. It is followed by the national
football and Greco-Roman wrestling teams.

The sport commentators mentioned also the names of other 14 sportsmen.

ARMENIA’S OPERA TO PERFORM CONCERT VERSION OF CARMEN

Tert.am
20.12.11

Yerevan’s Opera House is preparing a concert version of French opera
comique Carmen to be staged on December 28, Opera’s Art Director Kamo
Hovhannisyan told a press conference on Tuesday.

Speaking about the next year’s plans, Hovhannisyan said that new
premieres and tours are planned for 2012 too.

“We usually have a lot of invitations to tours, but generally are
not able to participate due to financial problems,” said he.

“We hope that next year we will be able to depart for France where we
have been invited long ago, and will present there Spartacus ballet,”
he added.

Further, Hovhannisyan said that the 8 million drams allocated by the
state budget for the renovation of the building of Opera, will be
mainly spent on equipment instead.

ALRUB AND VTV ENERGY NOT AUTHORIZED TO BUILD NPPS ON ARPA

Tert.am
20.12.11

Armenia’s Ministry of Environment Protection has dismissed a media
publication that it authorized two companies to construct hydro power
plants (HPP) on Arpa River in Vayodz Dzor province.

In a statement released late on Tuesday, the minsitry said that
companies that had submitted project applications – AlRub and VTV
Energy – are not authorized to construct a hydro power plant as none
of them has passed an environmental assessement.

The ministry also said it would come up with more details on the
issue later.

It comes after the Ministry of Territorial Administration dismissed
a report by the online investigative news website that one of those
proposals was approved due to Minister Armen Gevorgyan’s personal
preferences.

Both companies intend to build separate hydro power plants at the
same area.

KAJARAN TO BECOME SIX COMMUNITIES?

All villages near Kajaran village have also been recognized as supreme
public interest for the exploitation of mines.

“There are about six villages, including Sevkar, Artsvanik, Syunik
rural community and Kajaran,” environmentalist blogger Tehmine
Yenokyan said.

Overall, according to the environmentalist, the government is
preparing to deprive thousands of people of that 600 hectare land. The
representative of “Sardarapat” Movement sounds the alarm about another
disaster that is causing a threat to the Lake Sevan basin.

“They are concealing the tail dumpings of Zod, their accumulation, and
the heavy metals are approaching the Lake Sevan basin,” “Sardarapat”
Movement representative Tigran Khzmalyan said.

Khzmalyan registers that Serzh Sargsyan’s administration is simply
accumulating wealth and isn’t solving any problem.

The speakers at “Friday” Club register that the regional authorities
are trying to take bribes from the locala, but the locals say money
doesn’t solve all problems.

According to the environmentalists, the authorities have moved on to
the offensive. Kajaran village residents no longer have water.

Khzmalyan says in the case of a total offensive, the villagers won’t
be alone. “We will go there and resist.”

The “Sardarapat” Movement representative says exploiting mines isn’t
a bad thing, but illegitimate authorities shouldn’t be allowed to
exploit them.

AMERICAN-IRISH COMPANY ANNOUNCES CONTRACT WIN WITH “HAYPOST”

hetq
17:21, December 20, 2011

Escher, a world leading provider of outsourced, point of sale software
to the postal industry, announces that its Riposte Essential product
has been selected as part of the program to modernise the Armenian
Postal Sector.

“Haypost”, the National Postal Operator of the Armenia, will roll out
Riposte Essential across its postal network during 2012. The contract,
providing for the licence, service and maintenance, is worth at least
US $1.5 million across the initial five year life of the contract.

Riposte Essential is a comprehensive retail management solution. The
product is currently used by postal operators across the globe and
underpins some of the most demanding transactional environments
worldwide.

Commenting on this win, Liam Church, Escher’s CEO said: “We
are delighted that ‘Haypost’ has chosen Escher Group to be its
software supplier. Our product will give the Armenian post office
the flexibility it requires to respond to the changing business
environment that many companies are experiencing”.

TIGRAN KHZMALYAN: PRIOR PUBLIC INTEREST IN KAJARAN VILLAGE IS NOTHING BUT INTERESTS OF A GROUP OF ROBBERS

arminfo
Tuesday, December 20, 16:36

Prior public interest in Kajaran village is nothing but interests
of a group of robbers, says Tigran Khzmalyan, a member of Sardarapat
Movement, filmmaker.

“The ruling regime is in agony now and the authorities do their
best to bleed our country and us white. The policy of robbing the
own people that was launched yet 20 years ago is continued. Thanks
to barbarian privatization, all the public property is now focused
in the hands of several dozens of families. Now, the owners of the
Zangezour copper and molybdenum plant have organized a four-shift
work to recover and sell the wealth which does not belong to them and
transfer the proceeds to abroad as soon as possible,” Khzmalyan said.

Sardarapat does not make populist statements demanding to stop
exploitation of deposits. The minerals are being robbed, while the
budget receives insignificant funds from their exploitation, he said.

“All of us know how much is a barrel of oil, but no one know how much
is a kilogram of molybdenum, while it has grown in price 10-12fold
over the last year. Therefore, we should do everything for media to
cover all the topics related to Kajaran,” he said.

Under the decision adopted on April 28, 2011, the cabinet changed
the designated purpose of those lands and gave them to the Zangezour
Copper and Molybdenum Plant on lease.

Kajaran residents are against the decision as they are convinced that
it would pose serious environmental hazards, forcing them to leave the
village. The governor of Kajaran, Rafik Kajayan, had earlier resigned
and left the Republican Party, refusing to sign the lease agreement.

But the move hasn’t pushed the government to step away from its
decision.

VOLUME OF INVESTMENTS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF COPPER SMELTARY IN ARMENIA MAY BE ABOUT $100 MILLION

/ARKA/
DECEMBER 19, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, December 19. /ARKA/. Volume of copper concentrate mined
in Armenia will be 130 thousand in 2011 which is sufficient for the
establishment of copper smeltary, said the Chairman of the Union of
Domestic Manufacturers of Armenia Vazgen Safaryan.

“We consider that this process should start, because even if such
amounts are not profitable in future economic efficiency can be
formed”, he said to the journalists on Monday.

Safaryan said that for the establishment of copper smeltary investments
amounted minimum $100 million are needed.

He said that the efficiency of copper smeltary could be increased
through the development of internal cooperation and development of
other spheres. “If we could manage to get 30 thousand cooper bars,
it will be necessary for the development of electrical engineering,
machine-tool construction, as well as cable production”, said
Safaryan.

GORIK HAKOBYAN: REVELATION OF AGENTS, ARMENIAN CITIZENS, RECRUITED BY AZERBAIJAN IN TURKEY CARRIED OUT BY CLASSIC RULES

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 18:02:36 – 20/12/2011

The press service of the National Security Service reports that on
December 20, the members of the National Security Service celebrated
their professional day. A solemn session took place which was attended
by Serzh Sargsyan and delivered a speech.

The head of the National Security Service Gorik Hakobyan also delivered
a speech and noted that the staff of the Service has outstanding
achievements. In his speech, among achievements, G.

Hakobyan underlined the revelation of agents, Armenian citizens,
recruited by Azerbaijan in Turkey. According to him the revelation
was carried out by the Armenian NSS by the classic rules.

A number of operators of the Service received medals, gifts.

ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAM LAUNCHED IN ARMENIA
Artak Barseghyan

“Radiolur”
20.12.2011 18:05

The European Commission has launched the Erasmus Mundus program,
which aims to enhance the cooperation between higher educational
establishments, and promote the mobility from non-member states to
the European Union.

Three Armenian higher educational establishments – the Yerevan State
University, the Yerevan state Medical University and the Eurasia
International University – participate in the project.

The submission of applications for participation in the Erasmus Mundus
program started on December 15 and will continue for four months.

Ninety-four applications have already been submitted by students
from the South Caucasus countries. Fourty-two out of the total of
144 places have been allocated to Armenia.

The program lasts for four years and costs ~@300 thousand. Participants
of the program will get a scholarship of ~@1 000-2 500 a month. The
program will cover the traveling, residence and insurance expenses,
as well.