Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIAN MFA: GEORGIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE US UNAWARE OF THE PROCESSES TAKING PLACE IN THE REGION

armradio.am
01.06.2011 10:40

Head of the Neighboring Countries Department of the Armenian Ministry
of Foreign Affairs commented on the statement of the Georgian
Ambassador to the US Temur Yakobishvili. Mirzoyan noted that “the
statements of the Ambassador is a sign of unawareness of the processes
taking place in the region, this cannot be described otherwise. Such
statements of the diplomat do not correspond to the spirit and high
level of Armenian-Georgian relations.”

Ambassador Yakobashvili had stated in his speech that “the
events taking place in Armenia are directly linked to the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict.” “It has fallen into Russia’s hands, it houses
Russia’s military base and has unsettled relations with Azerbaijan”,
Yakobashvili said, mentioning, largely because of the Karabakh problem
Armenia’s relationship with Turkey is not settled as well.

Yakobashvili further noted that “recognition of the Armenian Genocide
was not a positive factor, adding that issues connected with the future
could be positive to Armenia. “The best thing is to find a solution
to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Because when you have this kind of
irritancy, security dynamite, when you have problems like that you
are dragged back from other issues”, he stated.

Georgian Ambassador to Armenia Tengiz Sarmanashvili declared in Yerevan
that the record of Yakobashvili’s speech is being investigated at the
Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He invited representatives of the
Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in the discussions.

L’UNIVERSITE EN PANNE D’ETUDIANTS
Marion

armenews.com
jeudi 2 juin 2011

S’inscrire a l’universite sera plus facile que jamais cet ete en raison
des profonds changements structurels du système educatif national.

L’Armenie est en train de terminer sa transition progressive du système
sovietique prevoyant une scolarite de 10 ans a un cycle d’enseignement
de 12 ans qui verra ses premiers diplômes l’annee prochaine. En 2011,
aucun lyceen sortant du secondaire ne sera donc diplôme.

Ceci aura des effets notoires pour la vingtaine d’universites
armeniennes. Le ministère armenien de l’Education prevoit que seulement
1 200 jeunes candidateront pour un total de 21 000 places disponibles
en première annee. Par comparaison, le ministère a signale 17 000
demandes l’annee dernière.

En l’absence de diplômes sortant du cycle secondaire en 2011, les
candidats de cette annee sont principalement ceux qui ont echoue
les examens d’entree l’annee dernière ainsi que les jeunes hommes
demobilises de l’armee armenienne.

Fait interessant, les demandes d’admission sont egalement attendues
des etudiants deja inscrits dans les universites d’Etat et qui doivent
payer leurs etudes. L’absence de concurrence pourrait leur permettre
de gagner l’une des 2 500 places exemptees de frais de scolarite.

Le Centre d’evaluation et de test (CET) du ministère de l’Education,
qui gère les examens d’entree de toutes les universites d’Etat,
a simplifie les conditions d’admission.

” Il y a des candidats qui ne peuvent pas ecrire leur nom, mais veulent
aller a l’universite. C’est leur droit, mais la simplification des
tests est relative, car si un candidat n’est pas pret, ce sera quand
meme difficile pour lui “, a explique la porte-parole du Centre,
Gayane Manoukian, a RFE / RL, mercredi 1er juin.

L’Universite d’Etat d’Erevan (UEE), la plus grande et ancienne en
Armenie, a declare que son departement d’histoire a recu jusqu’a
present le plus grand nombre de demandes d’admission qui s’elève a 40.

Certains departements de l’UEE specialises en physique, chimie et en
sciences naturelles n’ont pour l’heure attire personne.

Autre grande institution, l’Universite economique d’Etat de l’Armenie,
comptait aussi moins de candidats. Sans surprise, Mikael Tavadian,
a la tete de son service d’admission, etait mecontent de la reforme
du système educatif.

” Ce mecanisme aurait dû avoir ete concu avec plus de soin et bien
avant d’etre applique “, a souligne M. Tavadian a RFE / RL. ” Cette
situation va durer six ans. Nos premier, deuxième et troisième cycles
en souffriront a coup sûr. ”

ERDOGAN QUALIFIE UN DE SES MINISTRES DE ” SUSPECT ” DANS MEURTRE DE HRANT DINK
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 1er juin 2011

Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a mentionne son ancien
ministre de la Justice, Cemil Cicek, qui est actuellement vice-Premier
ministre, de ” suspect ” dans le meurtre du journaliste turc d’origine
armenienne Hrant Dink en 2007 a affirme le fils du journaliste tue.

Arat Dink, fils de Hrant Dink, qui a ete assassine a l’exterieur du
bureau de son journal Agos au grand jour le 17 janvier 2007, a ecrit un
editorial dans le quotidien Taraf dans lequel il a partage la susdite
anecdote du Premier ministre sur Cicek, qui etait ministre de la
Justice a l’epoque. Arat Dink a ecrit que dans une conversation qu’il
a eu avec le Premier ministre quelques jours après l’assassinat, il a
critique le rôle du gouvernement qui a fait de Hrant Dink une cible
pour des groupes nationalistes, l’accusant precisemment le Ministre
de la Justice Cicek, dont la position envers les armeniens aurait
encourage les meurtriers de Hrant Dink et qui a beaucoup d’occasions
a essaye d’associer la communaute armenienne de Turquie avec le parti
des Ouvriers du Kurdistan (PKK) et a une fois appele les participants
a une conference sur le genocide armenien ” de traîtres frappant dans
le dos “. Pendant cette conversation, Arat Dink aurait dit ” devons
nous appeller [Cicek] notre ” ennemi d’inimitie de sang ” ?. Ce a
quoi Erdogan aurait repondu ” Peut-etre pas mais votre ” suspect “.

Cependant, le Premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan a nie cette
information affirmant qu’il n’a jamais mentionne Cicek comme suspect,
ajoutant qu’il avait fortement condamne Arat Dink et le quotidien
Taraf.

” Je critique le journal qui a publie l’article, un instrument dans
les mains de cet enfant [le fils de Dink] ” a-t-il dit. Le Premier
ministre a note ” Cependant et malheureusement il y a toujours
de l’ideologie pro-armenienne en Turquie. Ils ont pris le rôle de
defenseurs des armeniens “.

MANIFESTATION POUR LA LIBERATION D’UN PRISONNIER PROCHE DU PARTI HERITAGE A EREVAN
Gari

armenews.com
mardi 31 mai 2011

Alors que Levon Ter Petrossian annoncait que l’epoque où l’Armenie
comptait des prisonniers politiques etait revolue, la veille, lors
d’un meeting a Hrazdan en hommage a deux de ses fidèles partisans qui
venaient de sortir de prison, en vertu de la loi d’amnistie decidee
par le president Sarkissian, les dizaines de personnes rassemblees
au coeur de Erevan le lundi 30 mai ne partageaient sans doute pas
cet avis. Les manifestants s’etaient rassembles devant un tribunal
de Erevan pour exiger la liberation du frère d’une parlementaire en
vue de l’opposition qui est poursuivi par la justice pour des faits
presumes de corruption.

Seule formation d’opposition, avec le Parti dachnak, representee dans
un Parlement domine par le Parti republicain du president Sarkissian,
le Parti Heritage (Jarankoutioun), affirme que les accusations
portees contre Tigrane Postanjian le frère de la deputee de son groupe
parlementaire, Zarouhi Postanjian, sont politiquement motivees. Il a
ete arrete alors qu’il travaillait pour l’administration du district
d’Arabkir de Erevan, a la fin fevrier, sous l’accusation d’avoir recu
un pot de vin d’un montant de 100 000 DRAM (275$) en echange de son
silence sur les les constructions illegales realisees par un habitant
de l’arrondissement.

Il a ete juge le mois dernier suite a une enquete criminelle menee
par le Service de Sûrete nationale (NSS) d’Armenie, successeur
armenien du KGB sovietique, qui s’occupe normalement d’affaires
criminelles autrement plus graves. L’inculpe a nie les accusations,
les liant aux activites politiques de sa s~ur Zarouhi. Soutenue par
le Parti Jarankoutioun, elle a accuse de la meme manière les autorites
armeniennes d’avoir monter l’affaire de toute pièce, designant son
frère comme un prisonnier politique.

Tigran Postanjian a entame une grève de la faim, au debut de son
procès il y a trois semaines. Il refuse encore de s’alimenter dans la
prison de Noubarachen de Erevan où il est enferme. Les manifestants
se sont rassembles a l’appel de Jarankoutioun devant le tribunal,
et cette mobilisation creuse le fosse entre ce parti et le HAK de
Ter Petrossian, au lendemain de la loi d’amnistie. Le parti de R.

Hovanissian avait en effet accuse Ter Petrossian de s’engager sur la
voie d’un compromis avec le pouvoir a des fins politiciennes.

SUSAN PATTIE TO GIVE A LECTURE TITLED “WHO ARE THE ARMENIANS?”

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 30, 2011 – 11:59 AMT

Author and anthropologist Dr. Susan Pattie, director of the Armenian
Institute in London and Senior Research Fellow, University College
London, will give a lecture titled “Who Are the Armenians? Bringing
Armenian History and Culture to Young Readers” on Thursday, June 2, at
8 p.m., at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
(NAASR).

While in the area, Pattie will also speak to fourth graders at St.

Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School in Watertown about her book by
the same name, The Armenian Mirror-Spectator reported.

Who Are the Armenians? is for both children and adults to learn about
the Armenian people. Aimed at children aged 5-12, the book brings the
3,000-year-old Armenian history and culture to life through folktales,
language, food, religion, music, dance, art, poetry, sports and games.

The book includes information about the Republic of Armenia and also
explains how Armenians have made homes all over the world. Who are
the Armenians? presents the lives of children in Armenia and diaspora
countries showing how they live today. A CD is included with songs,
poems, dance music and spoken words. (The book Who Are the Armenians?

has no connection with the still-existing permanent and traveling
exhibitions of the same name created earlier by the Armenian Library
and Museum of America in Watertown.)

Pattie teaches for the Syracuse University London Program and is
director of the Armenian Institute. She was a visiting scholar in
the Armenian Studies Program and Anthropology Department at the
University of Michigan in autumn 2009. Author of Faith in History:
Armenians Rebuilding Community (Smithsonian Institution Press) and
numerous other publications, Dr. Pattie’s research has focused on
Armenians in diaspora, beginning with fieldwork in Cyprus.

Why Former Speaker Abstained

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:16:00 – 26/05/2011

The former speaker of the National Assembly Tigran Torosyan commented
on his vote to the amnesty during a parliamentary briefing today. He
had abstained.

Tigran Torosyan noted that he could not vote against the bill because
it concerns people who could not be punished or at least should have
be given other punishment. Hence, it is right to set these people
free.

On the other hand, he could not vote for the bill because he is
against amnesties in general, since amnesty is not a process typical
of a normal and well-established country.

‘After all, if people are imprisoned for conviction under definite
provisions, their release is not logical, he noted.

Torosyan added that there are illogical points in the text of the
draft resolution on amnesty. He gave the example of Point 5 which runs
that people sentenced to maximum 10 years who served no less than the
quarter of their term must be released.

‘I think the gravity of the crime does not depend only on the Article
and on the fact whether it was due to negligence or not. 10 years is a
long period, which means the reason for such a sentence is serious.
Releasing a person after serving 2.5 years is not right, is
unacceptable,’ says Torosyan.

The authorities are trying to present amnesty as a step aimed at
easing political tensions, Tigran Torosyan says.

He says bombastic statements on the amnesty are not relevant. Tigran
Torosyan thinks it is clear that the causes of the problems the
country is facing are different and are not related to the amnesty and
those imprisoned. `If the point is the relations between the
government and the opposition, this step should not be presented as
improvement, dialogue, an act of tolerance. The roots, unfortunately,
are deeper and more serious steps are required to really improve the
situation in the country. I want it very much. But I don’t want us the
MPs, the government and especially the society, deceive ourselves that
the amnesty will produce such results,’ he said.

Mediamax, Armenia
May 26 2011

Armenia’s borders with Turkey, Iran stable – head of Russian frontier troops

Yerevan, 26 May: Lt-Gen Viktor Vlasov, head of the frontier department
of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation in Armenia,
said that the situation at both Turkish and Iranian sectors of
Armenian border is stable and predictable. No serious problems emerge
at these sectors of the border, the Mediamax news agency quoted him as
telling a news conference on 26 May.

Vlasov said that main problems the frontier department is facing are
attempts of illegal migration and smuggling.

Assessing results of the first five months of 2011, he said 121 border
violators, seven border regime violators and five violators of
frontier regime have been detained over the period. Thirty six pieces
of firearms and cold weapons, smuggled goods to the tune of 660,000
rubbles and 21.8 grams of narcotic substances have been confiscated
over the period.

According to Vlasov, three organized crime groups composed of a total
of eight people -Turkish, Iranian, Georgian and Armenian nationals –
have been disclosed. Those groups were involved in organizing unlawful
activities in the area of responsibility of the frontier department.

Iran’s president to visit Armenia
Sat May 28, 2011 10:53PM

[Photo: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will pay an official
visit to Armenia to discuss ways to consolidate Tehran-Yerevan
relations in various fields.]

President Ahmadinejad’s two-day tour of Yerevan will take place on
June 6 in response to an official visit to the Iranian capital by
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to attend the International Nowruz
Celebrations in late March.

The Iranian president is scheduled to hold talks with his Armenian
counterpart and other senior officials of the country, Fars news
agency reported.

Previously, President Ahmadinejad paid a state visit to Armenia in
2007 and held talks with top officials of the country. At the end of
the visit, the two sides signed four memoranda of understanding and
issued a joint communiqu? on the expansion of bilateral cooperation.

Iran and Armenia have taken major strides towards promoting mutual
relations in the past few years. The bilateral trade volume between
the two states stands at nearly $270 million, a figure that is
expected to climb in a near future, according to officials.

Economic News (Information Agency Oreanda), Russia
May 27, 2011 Friday

President Serzh Sargsyan Visited Zvartnots Airport

Yerevan . OREANDA-NEWS . May 27, 2011. President Serzh Sargsyan
visited Zvartnots airport to familiarize with the construction works
of the airports new terminal and participated at the opening ceremony
of the refrigerating complex which is built according to modern
international standards and is located next to the cargo section of
the airport.

The refrigerating complex has been built to assist the farmers of
Armenia, particularly, for the efficient and lossless storage of the
produce in refrigerators before it is sold at a favorable price. The
farmers will also have the opportunity to use the stored agricultural
produce to receive loans (securities) from the banks. Armenia
International Airports Ltd has invested almost 6 million USD in the
construction of the refrigerating complex.

Before observing the facilities at the refrigerating complex, the
President of Armenia toured the construction site of the new terminal
of Zvartnots airport and afterwards discussed with the
Armenian-Argentinean entrepreneur Eduardo Ernekian development
programs of the Armenia International Airports Ltd which carries out
the management of Zvartnots airport. The President was informed that
the new terminal of the airport has been designed in accordance with
international requirements and standards; it will accommodate over
3.500.000 passengers, with international security zone, new customs
facilities, new luggage space, fashionable halls for passengers and
diplomats, eateries and a trade center, new passage ways for arrivals
and departures and many other new facilities.

The project envisages improvement of the main terminal, which will
have a simplified and efficient practical arrangements which will
allow to separate flows of departing and arriving passengers, and
expansion of the complex.

It was noted that 78% of the construction works have already been
completed and have entered the final stage; 160 million USD have
already been invested into the project. The new terminal will be
inaugurated in fall 2011.

Fresno Bee (California)
May 27, 2011 Friday

Armenian believers to honor veterans

by Ron Orozco / The Fresno Bee

The area’s Armenian faith community will come together at Armenian
Hokehankist Memorial Services on Monday.

The Hokehankist, or Requiem Service, will be conducted at 10 a.m. at
the Armenian Martyrs Memorial at Ararat Armenian Cemetery, which is at
1925 W. Belmont Ave., and 10:30 a.m. at the Soghomon Tehlirian
Monument at nearby Masis Ararat Armenian Cemetery, which is at 250 N.
Hughes Ave.

The Revs. Vahan Gosdanian, pastor of Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic
Church, and Kevork Arakelian, former pastor of St. Gregory Armenian
Orthodox Church in Fowler, will participate in the services.

The services will remember the men and women who have died while
serving in the U.S. armed forces, the local American-Armenian
community members who have passed away and the 1.5 million Armenians
who died in the Armenian Genocide in 1915.

In preparation for the services, members of the youth group at Holy
Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church will gather today to place American
flags on the gravesites of the known veterans who served in the U.S.
armed forces.

Details: (559) 292-2415.