Author: Badalian Vardan

RA NA SPEAKER HOVIK ABRAHAMYAN MET WITH THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE WORDS CULTURE CENTRE AFTER MESROP MASHTOTS

Aug 3, 2011
Armenia

On August 2 the RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan received the members of
Scientific-Artistic and Youth’s Councils of the Words Culture Centre
after Mesrop Mashtots.

In recent days they referred to the NA Speaker with a letter, in which
taking into consideration the NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan’s interest in
recitation, the Armenian language and literature, they asked to receive
the representatives of the Centre for considering jointly several
other proposals on measures of preaching mother tongue and their
practical mechanisms, on the Armenian literature, and on cooperation.

Thanking for responding to the letter directed to the NA Speaker
and for receiving them, the intellectuals submitted thoroughly the
proposals, expecting the NA Speaker’s support. They highly appreciated
the organizing of the Children and Youth Republican Contest-festivals
under the aegis of the RA Speaker, highlighting the Armenian literature
and the necessity of preaching the Armenian language. Nadya Antonyan,
Director of the Words Culture Centre after Mesrop Mashtots, submitted
their proposals, which would promote increasing the role of native
language and proliferation of the Armenian literature.

Particularly, the Centre suggests to establish a special youth
structure titled “Mashtotsazang” for preaching the Armenian literature
and words culture and to fulfill a project for creating and issuing
electronic library titled “Armenian classics” with the aid of the
potential of that structure, to preach the Armenian language and
the Western and Eastern literature on TV, as well as it is proposed
to establish scientific-artistic councils at the TV companies. One
of the offers refers to the support of organizing the jubilee event
devoted to the 1650th birth anniversary of Mesrop Mashtots, which is
anticipated for the third ten-day period of October.

The intellectuals participating at the meeting, Levon Ananyan,
President of Writers’ union, Astghik Gevorgyan, President of
Journalists’ union, and others presented their concerns on the existing
attitude towards the language and literature, TV programs.

Thanking for the care, devotion displayed by the Centre towards the
language and literature, the NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan has noted
that shares concerns, expressing confidence that for representing
a nation and a country the strong and key means is the culture. The
President of the Parliament expressed willingness to conduct detailed
and broad deliberations on the voiced concerns and raised issues both
in the relevent Committee and in the Paliement in general.

The Professor Samvel Muradyan, Head of the Department of Armenian
Literature at Yerevan State University, Doctor of Philological
Sciences, which was participating at the meeting, expressed
satisfaction on the occasion of conducting Republican Contest-Festival
under the auspice of Hovik Abrahamyan, in which he had participated
as a member of jury, emphasizing the excitement and the enthusiasm of
participants which he witnessed during the festival. “You are very keen
that we have an educated generaton, that is why we have come to you,”
said the professor, applying to the NA Speaker. In his word, we should
be able to inject patriotism through mother tongue and literature.

Artak Davtyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Science,
Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, noted that as a result of
the Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan’s legislative initiative there are no
commercials transmitted on the spiritual-cultural TV Channel. He has
suggested that the representatives of the Words Culture Centre after
Mesrop Mashtots be present during the annual reports of Council for
Public Television and Radio and the National Television and Radio
Commission in the Parliament and voice their concerns.

At the end of the meeting the NA Spekaer expressed willingness to
meet with them one more time in the beginning of September till the
start of Autumn session of the Parliament, to consider the raised
issues with the participation of heads of relevent departments and
to give possible solution to them.

SECTS’ ACTIVITY IN ARMENIA REASON OF PHYSIOLOGICAL ABERRATION IN 150 PEOPLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 3, 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net – “According to the information received from Ministry
of Healthcare, 150 cases have been fixed when it turned out that people
with psychological aberration had earlier contacts with sectarian
organizations,” according to Vardan Astsatryan, the head of Committee
on National Minorities and Religious Affairs at the Government.

“However there is no information on whether these organizations incite
people on suicides, or no,” Astsatryan told journalists Aug.3.

“We have no cases when people involved in any religious organization
tried to commit a suicide,” he said.

Astsatryan noted that they are frequently addressed for family
conflicts.

ARMENIAN COMPANY HONORED WITH RUBAN D’HONNEUR AWARD

Tert.am
03.08.11

The Armenian company Byurakn has been honored with a Ruban d’Honneur
award in the 2011 European Business Awards.

Representatives from 28 countries were selected for the first round
of the competition. Byurakn LLC, which is the owner of such brands as
“Arzni”, “Ayg”, “Papa Carlo” Aygi, as well as AG Electronics, AG Plast
and AG Print, won the award in the Chairman’s Selection nomination.

The selection was made considering the innovative business model of
the company and its remarkable achievements over the last 12 months.

“Over the past five years we’ve received an incredibly high standard
of entries from organizations that are passionate about their
business. However, very few get the chance to fly the flag for their
country and compete across Europe to be recognized as one of the EU’s
leading companies. It really is an exceptional accolade to be picked
as a Country Representative, and together with HSBC we’re looking
forward to seeing Armenia in the next round”,- says Adrian Tripp,
CEO of the European Business Awards.

“It was a great responsibility to participate in this prestigious
award and to represent Armenia, as largest businesses from developed
European countries take part in this Award. For example, this year
Coca-Cola from Hungary, Unilever and Microsoft from Italy, Skoda from
Czech Republic were participants of the Awards. We are proud to be
selected as Ruban d’Honneur recipient: this is the outcome of diligent
work of a big team”, said Gevorg Afandyan, the founder of the company.

The recipients of Ruban d’Honneur are invited to be present at the
Awards ceremony in Barcelona on 22nd November 2011, where overall
winners in each of the categories will be announced. The event will be
attended by Europe’s top business leaders, politicians and influential
European press representatives, providing an excellent opportunity to
network. Key issues fundamental to the growth and success of businesses
within the EU will be discussed and debated during the business forum.

TER-PETROSYAN CANNOT MARGINALIZE ANYONE – OPPOSITION MP

Tert.am
03.08.11

A political party cannot be forced out of the political arena unless
it wishes so, says an opposition MP.

“No one can push a political force out unless that force itself
chooses a long-term inaction. Levon Ter-Petrosyan cannot marginalize
anyone,” Stepan Safaryan of the opposition Heritage party faction in
parliament told Tert.am, commenting a recent statement by Armenia’s
first president and the leader of the opposition Armenian National
Congress (ANC), Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

Speaking at the ANC’s rally on Tuesday Ter-Petrosyan referred to the
current dialogue between the opposition and the authorities, saying
that the ANC and the ruling coalition are the only parties involved
in the process.

“The dialogue is being held between Armenia’s chief political forces –
the coalition government and the Armenian National Congress, the former
being aware of the country’s security, defense, economic, financial,
administrative and propaganda resources and the latter enjoying support
by large masses of people. So the elements not influencing political
processes should blame only themselves for not being involved in the
dialogue,” the ex-president had said.

Commenting on the above statement Safaryan said their party works
actively every day.

“I would like very much our political forces to speak on behalf of
their supporters. The majority of the people do not represent either
the authorities or the ANC. They maximum represent the [officials]
they elect. And those people do not make up a majority,” he added.

ARMENIAN YOUNG POLITICIANS NEED RUSSIAN PREMIER’S ATTENTION

Tert.am
02.08.11

Talking to Tert. am, Khachik Galstyan, Spokesman for Chairman of the
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Gagk Tsarukyan, confirmed Russian media
reports that a young PAP member has invited Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin to Armenia. “Yes, at a CIS youth camp a young member
of our party invited Mr. Putin to Armenia,” Galstyan said.

A CIS youth gathering is to take place in the resort town of
Tsakhkadzor, Armenia, Aug. 20-31. The young man invited the Russian
premier to take part in the gathering as well. As to the reasons for
the invitation, Galstyan said that “it will be the first CIS youth
gathering in Armenia.” “It is a fact that Vladimir Putin is most
popular with young people,” he added.

The young PAP members have not so far received the Russian premier’s
answer. “He said he would think over their offer,” Galstyan said.

HEAD OF ARMENIA’S MISSION TO NATO MEETS WITH NATO ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL

Tert.am
02.08.11

Head of the Armenian mission to NATO Armen Yedigaryan held a meeting
Aug. 1 with the newly appointed NATO Assistant Secretary General
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

Mr. Yedigaryan congratulated Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic on her appointment
and wished her successful activities.

The sides discussed the development of the Armenia-NATO cooperation
in public diplomacy and raising public awareness.

The sides pointed out the role of NATO Weeks, which have been organized
since 2007, as well as the NATO information center, opened in Yerevan
four years ago, facilitate the process.

Mr. Yedigaryan invited Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic to visit Armenia and take
part in the annual NATO week scheduled for this autumn.

PALLONE CONCERNED ABOUT LACK OF KARABAKH ASSISTANCE
Frank Pallone

asbarez
August 1st, 2011

WASHINGTON-Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) Monday wrote
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers and Kay
Granger, Chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State,
Foreign Operations, and Related Programs to express his concerns
of reports that the Subcommittee has broken precedent by failing
to provide funding for humanitarian and development assistance in
Nagorno Karabakh. In past years, funding for Nagorno Karabakh had
broad bi-partisan support. Pallone expressed concerns about the
repercussions this lack of funding would have in the region.

“Since 1998 USAID and other agencies have been providing funds for
humanitarian and other assistance programs in Nagorno Karabakh as a
result of the Appropriations Committee’s work. The decision to provide
no funds to Nagorno Karabakh in Fiscal Year 2012 is a break with the
practice of the Appropriations Committee, under both Democratic and
Republican control,” Pallone wrote in the letter.

The full text of the letter appears below.

August 1, 2011

Dear Chairman Rogers and Chairwoman Granger:

I am writing with concern over recent reports that the State, Foreign
Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee has reported out a bill
that does not include funds for the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. I am
asking that as this bill moves to the full Appropriations Committee
that language be included to provide for humanitarian and development
assistance in Nagorno Karabakh.

Since 1998 USAID and other agencies have been providing funds for
humanitarian and other assistance programs in Nagorno Karabakh as a
result of the Appropriations Committee’s work. The decision to provide
no funds to Nagorno Karabakh in Fiscal Year 2012 is a break with the
practice of the Appropriations Committee, under both Democratic and
Republican control.

On May 20, 2011 twenty-eight members of Congress, along with myself,
on a bi-partisan basis wrote to Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member
Lowey requesting that $10 million be included for humanitarian and
development programs in Nagorno Karabakh. We pointed out that while
there has been strong Congressional support for providing funds to
Nagnorno Karabakh, the State Department has failed to come close to
expending the funds intended to reach the people of Nagorno Karabakh.

This has left major gaps in our ability to provide humanitarian
assistance and has put at risk the protection of the Nagorno Karabakh
people who live under constant threat of attack from Azerbaijan.

There is no question that Nagorno Karabakh is an example of how
democracy can be born from conflict and progress into a popularly
supported government. The United States’ role in helping to facilitate
this process cannot be overstated. I believe that it is more important
than ever that the United States maintain a principled stand for
peace in this region and support Nagorno Karabakh.

Sincerely, FRANK PALLONE, JR.

Member of Congress

L’ARMENIE ET L’AZERBAIJAN NE PARVIENDRONT PAS A UN ACCORD, SELON UN RESPONSABLE DU PARTI DACHNAK
Gari

armenews.com
mardi 2 aout 20
ARMENIE

L’Armenie et l’Azerbaidjan ne parviendront pas a un accord sur le
Haut Karabagh en depit des efforts des puissances mediatrices, a
estime lundi 1er aout un responsable de la Federation revolutionnaire
armenienne (Dachnaktsoutioun).

“Je ne pense pas qu’il puisse y avoir un accord cette annee”, indique
Giro Manoyan, le porte-parole du parti d’opposition armenien en charge
de la politique etrangère dans un entretien accorde aux journalistes.

Comme les responsables armeniens, Manoyan a rejete sur l’Azerbaïdjan la
responsabilite de l’impasse dans laquelle s’est fourvoye le processus
de negociations depuis l’echec du sommet armeno-azeri du 24 juin a
Kazan en Russie sous l’egide du president russe Medvedev.

Decevant les attentes des mediateurs americain, russe et francais du
Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE, les presidents Serge Sarkissian and Ilham
Aliev n’ont pu dissiper les divergences sur les principes de base du
règlement du conflit du Karabagh presentes dans le cadre du plan de
paix de la troïka du Groupe de Minsk. Les mediateurs ont tente depuis
de sauver le processus de paix. Le president russe Dmitry Medvedev
a soumis a ses homologues armenien et azeri des propositions visant
a sortir de l’impasse dont la teneur n’a pas ete rendue publique. G.

Manoyan suppose que les reponses de MM.Aliev et Sarkissian a ces
propositions n’ont pas d’etre “positives”.

“Si les reponses des presidents armenien et azerbaïdjanais avaient
ete positives, je pense que nous l’aurions percu a la reaction de la
partie russe”, a-t-il indique, en constatant que la reaction de la
Russie sur ce point se faisait toujours attendre. Le Parti dachnak, qui
etait partenaire de la coalition gouvernementale armenienne jusqu’a ce
qu’il s’en retire en avril 2009, e, signe d’opposition au processus
de normalisation alors a l’~uvre entre la Turquie et l’Armenie,
est oppose aux termes de l’accord de paix tel qu’il est propose a
l’Armenie et a l’Azerbaïdjan par les mediateurs internationaux. Il est
plus particulièrement hostile a toute idee de concessions territoriales
armeniennes a l’Azerbaïdjan telles qu’elles seraient prevues par les
principes fondamentaux actuellement en discussion. Le Parti dachnak
avait mis en garde les responsables armeniens a la veille du sommet de
Kazan, en les appellant a ne pas accepter ces principes, qui semblent
de toute manière inacceptables en l’etat pour Bakou. G. Manoyan
a reitere les critiques du parti nationaliste a l’encontre de la
politique du gouvernement armenien concernant le Karabagh, estimant
que contrairement aux Azeris, M.

Sarkissian et les autres responsables armeniens ont exprime plusieurs
fois leurs dispositions a faire des concessions majeures.

LE PREMIER MINISTRE TIGRANE SARKISSIAN SE MONTRE OPTIMISTE SUR LES PERSPECTIVES ECONOMIQUES DU HAUT KARABAGH
Gari

armenews.com
mardi 2 aout 2011
KARABAGH

Le premier ministre armenien Tigrane Sarkissian, alors qu’il entamait
lundi 1er aout une visite officielle de deux jours dans le Haut
Karabagh, a salue les perspectives de developpement economique a moyen
terme du territoire armenien, affirmant, en echo aux declarations des
autorites du Karabagh, que l’economie locale se developpera plus vite
dans les annees a venir. “Les indicateurs existant nous font esperer
que dans les annees a venir, l’economie du Karabagh se developpera
a un rythme accelere “, a indique le chef du gouvernement armenien
devant les journalistes, en notant que “les chiffres de la croissance
enregistres au cours des dernières annees sont egalement marquants “.

“Le potentiel cumule est tel que nous pouvons affirmer que le système
economique du territoire connaîtra une très nette croissance cette
annee et dans les trios prochaines annees”, a ajoute M. Sarkissian.

Selon les chiffres officiels, le PIB du Karabagh, reposant
essentiellement sur les revenus de la production agricole et de
l’industrie agroalimentaire, a augmente de 5.5 % pour atteindre 118
milliards de drams (330 millions de dollars) l’an dernier. Le taux
de croissance de l’economie a augmente de 9.7% dans le premier quart
de l’annee en cours. M.Sarkisian, qui etait accompagne des ministres
de la justice et de l’agriculture d’Armenie, s’est entretenu avec les
journalistes a l’issue d’une rencontre avec le president du Karabagh
Bako Sahakian and son premier ministre Ara Harutiunian. La discussion
aurait porte essentiellement sur les questions socioeconomiques
selon un communique du service de presse du gouvernement armenien,
qui souligne qu’elle a porte surtout sur ” le secteur agricol et
la mise en ~uvre de projets communs “. M. Sarkisian a aussi visite
deux entreprises et une grosse ferme d’elevage flambant neuve dans le
district d’Askeran, a l’est du Karabagh, où il devait rencontrer des
agriculteurs, mais aussi des postes de l’armee du Karabagh, dans cette
region qui se situe sur la ligne de contact avec l’Azerbaïdjan dont
les troupes ont multiplie recemment les violations du cessez-le-feu.

Depuis le cessez-le-feu de 1994 qui a confirme l’independance de fait
du territoire, l’economie du Karabagh n’a cesse de s’integrer a celle
de l’Armenie, meme si celle-ci ne reconnaît officiellement pas le
Karabagh. Et si elles ont procede a la rehabilitation d’une grande
partie des infrastructures detruites durant la guerre de 1991 a 1994
contre l’Azerbaidjan, tout en augmentant leurs recettes fiscales au
cours des 17 dernieres annees, les autorites du Karabagh restent
etroitement tributaires des subsides de Erevan, qui seraient d’un
montant de quelque 19 milliards de drams dans le premier semestre de
l’annee en cours, selon les chiffres fourbis par le ministere armenien
des finances.

BAKU CONCERNED AT ITALIAN SCULPTORS’ VISIT TO KARABAKH

news.az
Aug 1, 2011
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry is looking into a visit by a group
of Italian sculptors to Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Italian sculptors are reported to have taken part in a symposium,
Akop Gurdjan, held in Nagorno-Karabakh on 17 to 28 July.

The Foreign Ministry has asked the Azerbaijani embassy in Italy to
study the reports, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Elkhan Polukhov said.

Visits to the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh are technically
illegal without permission from Baku. In practice, many people visit
the breakaway territory.

The symposium was held in the city of Shusha, which is seen by many
Azerbaijanis as the cradle of their culture.

Many buildings in Shusha were badly damaged during the war over
Karabakh, while others have fallen into disrepair as their original
Azerbaijani occupants were forced to flee in 1992.

Professors from different Italian universities – Giuseppe Giovanni
Del Debbio, Francesco Roviello, Roberto Giovanelli, Luciano Pretty
and Francesco Gallo – are reported to have expressed willingness
to cooperate with the de facto authorities in the Karabakh city of
Shusha on the reconstruction of ruined buildings.

The de facto authorities are to submit packages of the most important
construction projects to Italian experts.

In recent years, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry has declared personae
non gratae foreigners who visit Nagorno-Karabakh without Baku’s
permission.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988 when Armenia
made claims on the Azerbaijani territory. Armenian armed forces
occupied a swathe of Azerbaijani territory from 1992, including the
Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Despite a
ceasefire in 1994, no long-term peace agreement has been reached.

The nub of the conflict remains unresolved – the competing claims of
territorial integrity, which Azerbaijan insists takes precedence in
the case of Karabakh, and self-determination, which Armenia wants to
see for the Armenians of Karabakh.

News.Az