Author: Badalian Vardan

HAK ACTIVISTS INFORM CITIZENS ABOUT MARCH 1 RALLY

/hak
07:08 pm | February 26, 2010

Politics

Young activists of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) today marched
through Yerevan streets informing citizens about a rally of March 1.

They passed through Koryun, Abovyan and Mashtots streets shouting out,
"Struggle till the end! Nikol!"

When asked whether that means of notification was effective, one of
the protesters said: "We had no other alternative as we were denied the
opportunity of reporting on the rally on television and other media."

Today’s demonstration was held without major incidents.

GAS PRICE WENT UP

rice
01:12 pm | February 26, 2010

Social

February 26, Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) of the
Republic of Armenia partially upheld ArmRosGazprom’s bid on increasing
gas rate.

Starting April 1, individual consumers will have to pay 132 drams
instead of current 96 per cubic meter of gas.

For the enterprises, consuming over 10 000 m3 a month the rate will
be $243.13 per 1 000 cubic meters instead of present $215.

ArmRosGazprom CJSC addressed PSRC with a request to review current
tariff for consumers utilizing up to 10 000 cubic meters of gas and
suggesting setting the price at 136 AMD per 1 cubic meter of gas from
April 1.

STRENGTHEN ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT: CATHOLICOS

The Hindu
022652140300.htm
Feb 26 2010
India

KOTTAYAM: Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, has stressed the importance of the
ecumenical movement in the 21st Century.

Delivering his keynote address at the ecumenical meet held at
the Orthodox Theological Seminary here on Thursday, the Catholicos
reiterated his admiration for the multi-cultural and multi-religious
society in India which has championed the cause of unity in diversity.

The Catholicos also recalled the contributions made by eminent scholars
including the late Bishop Paulos Mar Gregorios and M.M.

Thomas to the world ecumenical movement.

Catholicos-designate Paulos Mar Milithios of the Orthodox Church
presided. Bishop Zacharias Mar Theophilos, Suffragan Metropolitan
of the Mar Thoma Church inaugurated the function. CSI Bishop Thomas
Samuel delivered the benedictory address.

Catholicos Aram I and Catholicos Baselius Mar Thoma Didymos I of the
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church will jointly offer prayers on Friday
at Devalokam .

TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR AND PURE WATER SUPPLY PERSPECTIVE

NKR Government Information and
Public Relations Department
February 23, 2010

Today, NKR Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan has convoked a conference
on the current issues of water supply and agriculture. The Government
Head ordered the persons in charge of the water supply sphere to
implant a productive administrative model and to carry out a correct
tariff policy. An issue was set to establish a similar water tariff
in all the residences of the Republic. A.Haroutyunyan noted that
during the past 1-2 years the state had allotted vast sums aimed
at the improvement of the water supply system, however, the results
are not satisfactory yet, whereas considerable assistance is being
rendered from non-governmental sources as well. It was recorded with
regret that the great water resources available in Artsakh are not
supplied to inhabitants in necessary quantities. The Head of the
Cabinet charged the executives of the sphere to fully modernize the
productive capacities and to provide most inhabited localities of
the Republic with pure and twenty-four-hour water supply within short
terms and simultaneously collect corresponding charges.

At the conference A.Haroutyunyan ordered the heads of regional
administrations to efficiently organize the rodent control during the
forthcoming responsible days, upon the result of which the forthcoming
crop yield will mostly depend.

The issues of swine-breeding development and those of fertilization
of autumn-sowing fields were specially touched upon. The process
of redeeming the agricultural credits was discussed and the further
steps were outlined.

NKR Minister of Agriculture A.Tsatryan and the Head of the Water
Industry Department adjunct to the Government S.Mikaelyan partook in
the conference.

AZERBAIJAN RENEWS WAR THREATS

armradio.am
25.02.2010 15:42

Azerbaijan renewed threats of military action on Thursday to retake
Nagorno Karabakh over a lack of progress at talks with Armenia.

"For 15 years diplomats have been unable to find any solid solutions
to the conflict," Defense Minister Safar Abiyev said at a meeting
with French Ambassador Gabriel Keller.

"Azerbaijan cannot wait for another 15 years. It is time to use
military rhetoric, this threat is becoming more imminent, Abiyev said,
Trend News reports

According to the Azerbaijani Defense Minister, a large conflict is
possible in the South Caucasus.

IRANIAN REAL AND DECLARATIVE POLICIES ARE DIFFERENT, SAYS ANALYST

Aysor
Feb 25 2010
Armenia

"Iranian real policy is different from its declarative policy, which
appeals to the support of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,"
told journalists deputy director of the Scientific Educational Noravank
Foundation Sevak Sarukhanian.

He pointed that in its real policy Iran doesn’t act against Armenia
or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Besides, relations between Iran
and Azerbaijan have recently developed in both positive and negative
directions, he added.

According to Sevak Sarukhanian, economical problems between the
countries smoothed; however, there are political and religious issues.

As for religious issues, among them are Shiites activities in
Azerbaijan, who are "directly linked to Iranian government and
religious structures."

"35 people were arrested in 2009 in Azerbaijan, brought to court over
links with radical Islamic organisations," said Sevak Sarukhanian.

DAVID HARUTYUNYAN SAYS ARMENIA HAS NO ISSUE OF HASTING IN THE PROCESS OF RATIFICATION OF THE ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS

91462/lang/en
2010-02-23

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS: Armenia has no issue of hasting
in the process of ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols in
the NA, chairman of the parliament’s state-legal affairs standing
committee, member of the Armenian Republican Party David Harutyunyan
said today at the meeting with reporters, adding that any such step
must be agreed with the relevant political grounding.

"I do not see any grounding why we must implement active step in that
direction. We have already undertaken quite active steps. The coalition
parties have expressed their political position. It is enough for us
to see the intentions of the other party of the protocols in respect
of bringing them into life," he said.

In response to the question about ratification of protocols with
restrictions, the chairman of the committee said that restriction means
stepping back from the text. According to him, the way of restrictions
will not be right, and, moreover, "it will be more frank to refuse
to ratify than make bilateral restrictions in the agreements".

D. Harutyunyan said he does not see any restrictions in the ruling
of the Armenian Constitutional Court as the latter gave comments on
the texts of protocols so that "no one will try to divert".

"The CC has not distorted the protocols on the Armenian-Turkish
relations," he pointed out saying that in case of the ratification
of the protocols by the NA the ruling of the CC will serve as a basis.

In response to the question which is the reasonable timeframe for
ratification of the documents in the parliament, D. Harutyunyan
said that the question does not have an unequivocal response. He did
not want to predict the time especially in case that Turkey is not
displaying activeness.

LETTER OF RA’S PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE ON OCCASION ON ANNIVERSARY OF SUMGAYIT AND BAKU TRAGIC EVENTS SPREAD IN UN

Noyan Tapan
Feb 24, 2010

NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 24, NOYAN TAPAN. On the occasion of Sumgayit and
Baku tragic events, massacres committed against the Armenian population
the letter of RA Permanent Representative, Ambassador Karen Nazarian
addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was spread as that
organization’s official document.

The letter referring to international community’s disorientation
aimed at the cheap agitation and false facts constantly spread by
the Azeri government mentioned that Azerbaijan continues presenting
itself as a victim of the so-called "Armenian aggression" for that
purpose misrepresenting not only the tragic events well-known to the
world but also former citations of Azeri sources.

K. Nazarian, in particular, cities former Azeri President Ayaz
Mutalibov’s well-knwon interview where speaking about Khojalu’s events
the latter describes how Azerbaijan’s opposition and militia hindered
withdrawal of the civil population from the zone of operations through
the mountainous corridor. The opposition hoped to achieve power in
Baku through the massacre of its very compatriots. The letter also
cited the 1992 September report of the The Helsinki Watch organization
which mentioned the evidence of the very Azeris about Azeri militia’s
firing at the flying off civil population.

The letter also emphasized that the international community has
repeatedly confirmed many barbarities carried out by Azerbaijan’s
government to the defenseless Armenian population. "In response to
Nagorno Karabakh people’s peaceful and constitutional demand of using
its right of self-determination the Azeri authorities organized and
armed the crowd which in 1988 committed a slaughter to the Armenians
living in the town of Sumgayit. This massacre was the first case of
mass murders in the territory of Soviet Union which was correspondingly
fixed in the legal cases. Azerbaijan immediately after proclaiming its
independence released the convicted murderers and publicly proclaimed
them national heroes. The Helsinki Watch organization’s report is
evidence that the events had a goal to intimidate the Armenians living
in Azerbaijan’s other regions."

According to the RA Foreign Ministry Press and Information Department,
K. Nazarian also mentioned that the massacres committed in 1988-1991
in Gandzak, Azerbaijan’s other towns were more than mass and
barbaric and resulted in extermination and deportation of half a
million Armenians. These cruelties were followed by unprecedented
aggressive actions of the Azeri armed forces aimed at Nagorno Karabakh
population’s extermination.

The letter of Armenia’s Ambassador which is also addressed to the UN
Security Council and General Assembly is concluded by the following
thought: "It should be finally and once and for all become clear that
Azerbaijan started the armed aggression against Nagorno Karabakh.

Armenia is convinced that the best solution in this situation is the
restoration of Nagorno Karabakh people’s legal demand to exercise
the inviolable right of nations for self-determination."

SIX TAXES "REMOVED" FROM PACKAGE

22/national-assembly
05:36 pm | February 22, 2010

Politics

The Armenian National Assembly today adopted the tax package with 71
pros, 20 cons and 7 abstentions.

During the previous four-day sitting, the National Assembly adjourned
the voting for 15 days as both opposition and Coalition MPs sounded
against the package.

Taking into consideration deputies’ proposals and observations, the
government removed six taxes from the package leaving only two. In
particular, the executive body suggests introducing hotel tax and
parking tax.

Armen Martirosyan thanked the government in the name of Heritage
faction for the changes and added that the party would abstain from
the vote as they found the package incomplete.

"Let them work for another 15 days in order to introduce a full
package," said freelance MP Samvel Balasanyan.

Republican Vardan Ayvazyan noted that the new taxes would be put into
force after a law is passed on them.

Chairman of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs David
harutyunyan reminded NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan that by the NA
time-limit deputies have right to express opinions on the voting
procedure. Anyway, Mr. Abrahamyan interrupted the speeches and put
the issue to the vote.

The package was voted down by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation,
freelance MPs. Heritage abstained from the vote.

MOLLAZADE: INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MAKES NO PRESSURE ON ARMENIA

Panorama.am
19:13 22/02/2010

Politics

"I think, Armenian authorities, as well as the peoples of Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh have never given up their plans for independence,"
the Chairman of US- Azerbaijani Council Jeyhun Mollazade told Vesti.az.

As he said, the possible reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey
will hardly have any impact on Armenia’s abovementioned political
disposition.

Referring to the pressure of the international community on Armenia,
Mollazade said, unfortunately, there is not even minimal pressure on
Armenia. He highlighted that Armenia receives military support from
Russia, and is rendered economic support from Iran, the US and the EU.

Besides, Mollazade said, Armenia is trying to seize Azerbaijan’s only
ally, Turkey.