Author: Badalian Vardan

ANOTHER POST OFFICE REOPENED IN ADJAPNYAK DISTRICT

arminfo
Tuesday, November 1, 17:59

The final stage of “Haypost Marathon 2011” is in its active stage.

Almost every day official reopening of one postal office takes place.

On November 1 official reopening of 0078 postal office (Adjapnyak
district) took place, the press service of HayPost CJSC told ArmInfo.

Deputy Head of Adjapnyak district Hayk Abelyan, management of
“Haypost Trust Management” and “Haypost” CJSC as well as local
residents partook in the ceremony. Mr. Abelyan highlighted the
importance of good conditions for the costumers. “Haypost” CJSC
Commercial Development Manager Narine Seferyan noted that this is
the 14th reopened post office where the costumers are provided with
new commercial and high quality service.

The Postal Office is completely renovated in compliance with branding
guidelines. Working standards, as well as infrastructure is changed
and renewed. New computers with modern software are installed, and
the cable system is renewed. By “Haypost Marathon 2011” Program it is
envisaged to reopen 50 postal offices not only in Yerevan, but also in
marzes in Armenia. The Program of Haypost Trust Management envisages
increasing the number of renovated post offices up to 250 for the
next 5 years, and augmenting the services- including commercial ones-
specific to nowadays postal operators.

RUSSIAN BASE IN ARMENIA TO TRANSFER ITS MILITARY HOUSING SETTLEMENTS TO ARMENIA

epress.am
11.02.2011

The leadership of Russia’s Armed Forces, in Armenia for a working
visit, are preparing to transfer to Armenia military housing
settlements belonging to the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri.

The group of senior Russian officers visiting the country will be
monitoring the transfer process.

According to representatives of Russia’s Ministry of Defense, this
transaction will be beneficial to both parties since Armenia will
receive military settlements at its Yerevan garrison, while Russia
will reduce the costs associated with keeping the settlements.

Optimizing the deployment of Russian military on Armenia’s territory
was a forced move, as military base staffing level was significantly
reduced during special organizational and staff activities, reports
eip.ru.

However, at this time, no further reduction in personnel of the
Russian base in Armenia is expected.

CHURCH BECAME BUSINESS AREA

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 16:44:35 – 01/11/2011

Talks on the controversial amendments to the legislation on Property
Tax, Land Tax and amendments to the Land Code of Armenia are still
going on.

According to Haykak Arshamyan, Candidate of Historic Sciences, this
process has a global and deep meaning because it means the state
and the government don’t have concrete vectors of activities and are
wandering in other planes.

The historian noted that the fact that in 21 century the Church is
given new privileges and demand no taxes once again proves we live
in autocracy and the state instead of thinking about developing the
small and midsize businesses and easing the tax burden, eases the
tax burden of the Church, which is already minimal.

Haykak Arshamyan notes that for him more essential is the fact that
the Church accepts this step of the government adding that this has
serious grounds. According to him, the Church is becoming (like it
used to be in the Middle Ages) a major landowner corresponding to
today’s oligarch.

He says that he sees no difference between the oligarch monopolists
who import goods and the church. Arshamyan says that in the same logic,
oligarchs could also be exempt from taxes.

The historian thinks this step is a specific calculation which is
the logical continuation of the Church-government-state link.

DM SEYRAN OHANYAN MEETS THE NEWLY APPOINTED US AMBASSADOR

armradio.am
01.11.2011 16:29

Defense Minister Seyran Ohanayn received the newly appointed US
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia, John Heffern.

The Defense Minister congratulated Ambassador Heffern on appointment
and expressed confidence that he would use his experience in the fields
of security and defense to contribute to the further development of
Armenian-American relations, including the defense cooperation.

The Armenian Defense Minister briefed the Ambassador on the reforms
implemented in the armed forces of Armenia and the steps taken in
the direction of defense strategy review.

Thanking for the congratulation, Ambassador Heffern noted that the
American side highly appreciates the participation of the Armenian
armed forces in the peacekeeping mission in Iraq. He added that they
welcome the process of implementation of reforms in the army and noted
that the American side is ready to provide necessary assistance both
in bilateral format and within the framework of the UN, NATO and
other international organizations.

ARMENIA TO ASSEMBLY FINISH HARVEST COMBINES

/ARKA/
November 1, 2011
Yerevan

YEREVAN, November 1. / ARKA /. A company in Armenia will start soon
assembling harvest combines of the world-famous Finnish company
Sampo Rosenlew, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Vartan Karapetian told
reporters today.

He said the government has an agreement with Finish Sampo Rosenlew
on delivery of components and organization of assembly of harvest
combines in Armenia.

According to him, Sampo Rosenlew’s partner in Armenia is Yeghvard-based
company Berriutyun.

The Deputy Minister also reminded that Armenia jointly with the
Chinese side established the assembly of “ChinVan tractors patterned
from Belarusian MTZ tractors.

ARMENIA, INDIA INTERESTED IN FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF BILATERAL TIES

armradio.am
01.11.2011 16:10

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received India’s Secretary
for Issues of the East, Sanjay Singh.

Greeting the guest, Minister Nalbandian highly appreciated the obvious
intensification of Armenian Indian relations over the past years,
underlining that Armenia is interested on the further development
and deepening of traditionally warm and friendly relations with India.

Sanjay Singh underlined that “India has a special warm attitude towards
Armenia and the Armenian people” and the authorities of his country
are interested in expanding the friendly partnership and cooperation
with Armenia.

The interlocutors discussed the results of yesterday’s sitting of the
Armenian-Indian Intergovernmental Commission and today’s consultations
between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries.

The parties dwelt on the programs and steps taken towards expansion
of cooperation in the fields of economy, politics, education,
information technologies, culture and healthcare, conduct of
consultations between corresponding agencies of the two countries,
intensification of contacts between the business circles, etc. They
exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues.

The Armenian Foreign Minister presented the problems of the South
Caucasus and Armenia’s position on their resolution. Edward Nalbandian
highly appreciated the balanced position of India on the Artsakh issue.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TO HOST TALK ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 1, 2011 – 13:28 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On Thursday, November 3, Dr. Donna-Lee Frieze
of Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, will present a talk
entitled, “Silence, Memory, and Sacred Drama: ‘Ravished Armenia’ in
the Memorialization of the Armenian Genocide” at Columbia University.

A screening of the short surviving fragment of the film “Ravished
Armenia” will be shown in conjunction with the talk, The Armenian
Weekly reported.

Frieze has taught a graduate unit on genocide studies for 10 years
at Deakin University. In 2009, she was joint consulting scholar for
a conference on Raphael Lemkin and sole consulting scholar for a
six-month exhibition on Lemkin, both at the Center for Jewish History
in New York. She is part of a research team publishing a history of
the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne and is the editor of Raphael
Lemkin’s autobiography (Yale University Press, forthcoming).

The talk begins at 7:35 p.m. in Room 501 in Schermerhorn Hall at
Columbia University. It is presented by the Department of Middle
Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) at Columbia, in
association with the Armenian Center at Columbia and the National
Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), in conjunction
with an ongoing Columbia graduate seminar, “Memories of the Armenian
Genocide: An Exploration through Memoir, Literature, and the Arts,”
taught by Armen T. Marsoobian, the Nikit and Eleanora Ordjanian
Visiting Professor of Armenian Literature at Columbia, and professor
and chair of philosophy at Southern Connecticut State University in
New Haven.

HES CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES NEAR TRCHKAN

12:08 pm | Today | Social

EcoLur NGO and “We Won’t Keep Silent” youth initiative have issued
a joint statement:

EcoLur NGO and “We Won’t Keep Silent” youth initiative are inclined to
accept the statement on the suspension of RobShin LTD’s construction
of a hydro-electric station near Trchkan Waterfall and the dislocation
of technical equipment as nothing but a way of distracting the society.

It is necessary to take into account the fact that that company’s
statements have no legal force as long as the Nature Protection
Minister’s permission for use of water and the positive conclusion
of the environmental experts’ examination remains in force. Those
two documents are illegitimate since Trchkan Waterfall is included
in the list of water monuments of nature according to the Armenian
government’s decision N 967 dated 14 August 2008. What’s more,
according to Point 1, Article 19 of the RA law “On Specially Conserved
Territories in Nature”, any act that causes a threat to the protection
of a natural monument in the given territory is prohibited. EcoLur and
“We Won’t Keep Silent” declare that Robshin LTD, which is preparing to
make money at the price of Trchkan Waterfall, can decline its so-called
“show of good will” at any moment.

The law should replace that “good will” and the whims.

ZHOGHOVURD: ON KOCHARYAN’S FAILED MEETING WITH PUTIN

Tert.am
13:13 01.11.11

The newspaper writes that Armenia’s ex-president Robert Kocharyan is
returning to Armenia.

Official reports had him to be on a visit to Moscow in connection
with the Sistema company’s business. According to backstage talks,
however, he was to settle some issues of his political future with his
“partners” in Russia.

But Kocharyan failed to meet with Premier Vladmir Putin (he could
only hold meetings with his “company”).

During Kocharyan’s stay in Moscow, serious events have taken place
in Armenia. Bloggers have even discussed “restart of the system”
by authorities.

TURQUIE : VIVE LE “MODULE TURC”!

Collectif VAN

31-10-2011

L’editeur et defenseur des droits de l’homme Ragýp Zarakolu
a ete arrete le 28 octobre a Istanbul. Zarakolu preside
egalement l’association d’editeurs Liberte pour la publication en
Turquie. Zarakolu a ete incarcere le 28 octobre 2011, au cours d’une
grande rafle a Istanbul visant les militants kurdes. Les editions
Belge que dirige Ragýp Zarakolu ont publie de nombreux ouvrages sur
l’oppression des minorites nationales en Turquie et sur le genocide
des Armeniens. Vendredi, au cours de la meme rafle, le Professeur
Busra Ersanlý, une specialiste du droit constitutionnel et membre de
la commission constitutionnelle du parti pro-kurde BDP, a ete arretee
en meme temps que des dizaines d’autres personnes.

Vive le modèle de la democratie turque vantee par les commentateurs
europeens. Des milliers de prisonniers politiques croupissent dans
les geôles turques : l’etiquette “terroriste” a bon dos, d’autant
plus que ce stratagème semble fonctionner a merveille dans les medias
europeens. Un opposant syrien, accuse par son gouvernement d’extremisme
islamiste, serait victime de calomnies et de propagande grossière. Mais
un opposant turc ou kurde, accuse par son gouvernement de terrorisme,
serait forcement… un terroriste. Ragýp Zarakolu est un intellectuel
respecte et un militant de la paix. Les editions Belge qu’il dirige
ont ete la cible de la censure turque depuis leur creation en 1977
par Zarakolu et sa femme Aysenur. Les charges ont valu au couple
des peines d’emprisonnement, la confiscation et la destruction des
stocks de livres, et de lourdes amendes. Le Collectif VAN vous invite
a lire ce Communique de >
publie sur le blog d’Etienne Copeaux le 29 octobre 2011.

Le blog d’Etienne Copeaux

Nouvelle vague d’arrestations – Vive le “modèle turc”!

Important !!!

L’editeur Ragýp Zarakolu a ete arrete le 28 octobre !

Notre collègue Busra Ersanlý egalement en prison !

Communique de >

Date: Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:04:23 +0200

L’editeur et defenseur des droits de l’homme Ragýp Zarakolu est arrete

Dans le cadre de l’affaire du KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union), la
police turque a arrete Ragýp Zarakolu, directeur des editions Belge et
militant bien connu des droits de l’homme. Zarakolu preside egalement
le collectif d’editeurs Liberte pour la publication en Turquie.

Zarakolu a ete incarcere le 28 octobre 2011, au cours d’une grande
rafle a Istanbul visant les militants kurdes.

Son fils, Deniz Zarakolu, editeur aux editions Belge, avait deja ete
arrete le 4 octobre dernier.

Les editions Belge que dirige Ragýp Zarakolu ont publie de nombreux
ouvrages sur l’oppression des minorites nationales en Turquie et sur
le genocide des Armeniens.

Le meme jour, au cours de la meme rafle, le Professeur Busra Ersanlý ,
une specialiste du droit constitutionnel et membre de la commission
constitutionnelle du parti pro-kurde BDP [Baris ve Demokrasi Partisi –
Parti de la paix et de la democratie], a ete arretee en meme temps
que des dizaines d’autres personnes [Busra Ersanlý, professeure a
l’Universite de Maramara a Istanbul, s’est egalement distinguee par
ses travaux sur l’elaboration de “l’histoire officielle” en Turquie
a l’epoque d’Ataturk, sous le titre Le pouvoir et l’histoire – E.C.].

Les unites > ont mene plusieurs operations
simultanees contre des personnes suspectees d’appartenir au KCK.

Vendredi matin, 41 personnes ont ete arretees. La police a investi
plusieurs bureaux du BDP a Istanbul, dont . Il a passe cinq mois en prison, puis les charges ont
ete levees. En 1972, il a ete condamne a nouveau a deux ans de prison,
qu’il a accomplies au centre de detention de Selimiye (Istanbul) pour
un article dans Ant sur Ho Chi Minh et la guerre du Vietnam. Il a ete
libere en 1974 a la faveur d’une amnistie generale. Mais Zarakolu n’en
a pas pour autant renonce a sa campagne pour la liberte de pensee,
luttant pour