Edward Nalbandyan to visit Moscow
13:02, 20 Dec 2014
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Edward
Nalbandyan will visit Moscow on December 22, to take part at the
session of Foreign Ministerial Council of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO), Armenian MFA’s press service reported.
PHILATELIE ARMENIENNE
Emission d’un timbre sur la nouvelle cathédrale arménienne de Moscou,
Sainte Transfiguration
Le 12 décembre, la Poste arménienne (HayPost) a procédé à l’émission
d’un timbre-bloc dans la série > qui représente la
cathédrale arménienne Sourp Baïdzaragerboutioun (Sainte
Transfiguration) de Moscou inaugurée le 17 septembre 2013 en présence
du Catholicos Karékine II. Le timbre-bloc qui représente l’église et
quelques détails de ses bas-reliefs gravés sur ses parois extérieures,
émis en 30 000 exemplaires est d’une valeur de 870 drams.
Krikor Amirzayan
samedi 20 décembre 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com
PRESS RELEASE
Glendale Public Library
222 East Harvard Street
Glendale CA 91205
Contact: [email protected]
Tel: 818-548-2030
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California Water Infrastructure
An Intriguing Presentation by Maria Mehranian
The public is invited on Thursday, January 22, 2015, at 7 pm to a free
intriguing presentation on California Water Infrastructure by Maria
Mehranian in English at the Glendale Central Library Auditorium.
In the face of aging water infrastructure and the on-going drought,
the need to update to sustainable solutions has become paramount. In
response, state agencies, regional water quality boards, and water
agencies are embarking on various policies to secure reliable water,
protect water quality, and increase conservation. In Los Angeles
County, cities are forging new partnerships to collect and capture
stormwater runoff. Many of these partnerships are a result of a
stormwater permit, passed by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality
Board, to ensure the clean reuse of stormwater. Ms. Mehranian will
detail her experience serving on the Los Angeles Regional Water
Quality Board and working with municipalities throughout the region to
create projects that respond to this changing policy landscape.
Maria Mehranian is the Managing Partner and Chief Financial Officer
for Cordoba Corporation, a Los Angeles based civil engineering and
construction management firm specializing in water, energy,
transportation, and education facility infrastructure. The firm is
nationally known for its work on large-scale public work projects such
as the California High Speed Rail program and the move of Space
Shuttle Endeavour from LAX to the California Science Center. Her
unique approach to building Cordoba into one of the top planning and
engineering firms in the nation has been featured in case studies at
the Harvard Business School and the Kellogg School of Business at
Northwestern University. She is a current member of the Los Angeles
Regional Water Quality Board, and served as chair between 2012 and
2014, overseeing water quality standards in the Los Angeles region
while working closely with municipalities to implement collaborative,
regional, and practical solutions to local water quality issues.
Thanks. Hope to See You All Next Year!
U.S. DIPLOMATS MULL NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Dec 19 2014
19 December 2014, 13:17 (GMT+04:00)
By Sara Rajabova
The former and current U.S. co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have
discussed the ways to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.
Carey Cavanaugh and Robert Bradtke, former U.S co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with James Warlick,
the current U.S. co-chairman, Warlick wrote on his Twitter page.
The United States is one of the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk
Group, which tasked to resolve the long-lasting Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early
1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed
forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions.
Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE
Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by
the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. However,
the negotiations have been largely fruitless so far despite the
efforts of the co-chair countries over 20 years.
Armenia continues the occupation in defiance of four UN Security
Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.
YEREVAN PHYSICS INSTITUTE INAUGURATES NEW CYCLOTRON
Friday, December 19th, 2014
The President of Armenia Serzh Sarkisian and other government
officials and clergy at the accelerator building’s groundbreaking
ceremony. Oct. 2012.
YEREVAN–The Alikhanyan National Laboratory in Yerevan (Yerevan Physics
Institute) will soon take delivery of a new 18 MeV (million electron
volt) cyclotron for a modern diagnostic center funded by the Armenian
government. The cyclotron is purchased from a Belgian Company (IBA)
and the plan is to start installation of the new 18 MeV cyclotron in
January of 2015. The cyclotron will be placed in a newly constructed,
specially designed building on the grounds of the laboratory. The
new cyclotron, the Cyclone 18, is one of the most modern cyclotrons
produced today in the world. The cyclotron will produce negative
proton beams of 18 MeV and deuteron beams of up to 10 MeV energies.
The new cyclotron, in addition to providing short-lived radioactive
isotopes for positron-electron tomography, will also be used to expand
the capability of the Yerevan Physics Institute in nuclear physics
research and the applications of nuclear science to society. The
science questions explored at Yerevan Physics Institute will range
from studying the stellar nuclear reactions which are essential to
the formation of the solar system and to understanding the conditions
responsible for life on earth, as well as applying the techniques
and tools of nuclear science towards understanding early human
development. This science is also applicable to environmental science
and the dating of art and archeological artifacts. This will expand the
capabilities of Armenia in medical treatment and diagnostic techniques.
The accelerator building
This type of cyclotron is being implemented worldwide to produce
radio-isotopes for hospitals and research centers all over the world.
The production of radio-isotopes in Yerevan will provide services
that presently do not exist to patients in Armenia and potentially
provide sales to neighboring countries. The cyclotron will place
Armenia amongst a select list of the world’s countries with their own
production of radio-isotopes that can be used in medical diagnostics
and therapy. The cyclotrons are also very versatile and can be used to
carry out basic nuclear research. Some recent proposals by scientists
at the Yerevan Physics Institute, and approved by the Ministry of
Science and Education, include using the proton beams to study the
“Hoyle” state, which is the resonance state that captures an alpha
particle to make Oxygen and hence facilitated the origin of life
in our cosmos. The state was discovered more than 50 years ago, but
remains a challenge in physics worldwide. Scientists at the Institute
propose to measure the decay of the Hoyle state.
Another example of the kind of research that can be done at the
Institute with the new C-18 Cyclotron is the conversion of the proton
beam into a neutron beam for use for a broad class of studies and
experiments. Neutrons are fundamental particles that make up the
atomic nucleus along with protons. The properties of neutrons such
as their charge neutrality makes them ideal probes to peer inside
all types of matter, including properties of nuclei and various
types of dense matter. Wavelengths of neutron are about the same as
the distances between atoms making them an ideal tool to the study
of engineering of materials, as well as biological, chemical, and
physical systems. Neutrons and the likelihood of various materials
to absorb neutrons (cross-sections) are important to answering a
broad range of open questions from astrophysics, nuclear physics,
and material science. The production of a neutron beam at the Yerevan
Physics Institute will be an important experimental tool for the
country of Armenia. Other societal applications of Nuclear Physics
include energy, climate physics, physics of art, and archeology.
NON-GOVERNING PARTY MP DESCRIBES CURRENCY MARKET UPHEAVALS AS UNPRECEDENTED, BUT PREDICTABLE
ECONOMY | 19.12.14 | 15:14
GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Armenia needs not cosmetic or sectional, but drastic changes,
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) lawmaker Mikayel Melkumyan said on
Friday, commenting on recent days’ turmoil on the country’s currency
market.
Enlarge Photo
According to Melkumyan, while the developments were unprecedented, they
were still predictable. He reminded the media that the PAP warned about
high volatility risks still after the parliamentary elections of 2012.
“We told you that the state has shifted from the correct path,
and the economic policy we run will take us to a dead-end. What
happened during the recent days cost too much for our society. It
struck hard everyone – all layers of the society – without exception;
the villagers, who started cutting the animals and selling because
forage became very expensive; the scientists, teachers and doctors –
the purchasing power of their salaries was cut in half. The small and
medium business hesitated, did not know how to price their goods and
services,” the MP said.
According to Melkumyan, the people are in shock, they do not understand
what is happening around them, and they do not know how much longer
the ‘indefiniteness and despair’ will last, and, as the MP said,
‘this will leave its influence still for a long time.”
Melkumyan thinks that there are two main reasons behind the dram
devaluation: one is the external influence, namely, all that causes
changes in the Russian economy, and the other one – the internal
state of the economy.
“If your economy’s immunity, resistance is equal to zero, it will
be influenced by the wind every day. It was the way during the
Russian-Georgian war when within 5-6 days our storages of oil and
petrol depleted. It was clear for us that this might happen, because
during the last 2-3 years no investments were made,” the MP said.
Although the results of the recent days’ drastic inflation have not
been summarized yet, however the National Statistical Service (NSS)
Price and International Comparisons Division head Gurgen Martirosyan
at Friday’s press conference presented the price changes picture for
2014 in the consumption market saying that by November there was a
more favorable situation in the country in terms of inflation.
According to Martirosyan, in November, compared to October, a
1.3-percent inflation was recorded, and whereas in September, October
and November of 2013 the overall inflation made one percent, during
these three months of 2014 the overall inflation made 2.7 percent.
As the dram hit its historic low of nearly 600 per U.S. dollar earlier
this week causing negative expectations among economic agents some
businesses suspended trade or raised retail prices in anticipation
of hard currency shortages. On Thursday, the dram rebounded just as
dramatically as it lost its ground earlier, but prices appear to be
lowering at a much slower pace.
Scores of citizens gathered near the government building today to
voice their discontent over what they see as excessively high prices
in stores. Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan visited several supermarkets
on Thursday, warning retailers against unreasonable price hikes.
SHOCK OVER: ARMENIAN PM SIGNALS CURRENCY MARKET STABILITY AFTER DRAM REBOUND
ECONOMY | 19.12.14 | 10:41
RELATED NEWS
Ungrounded price increases will not be tolerated, says PM
Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan warned against currency
market speculations and “groundless” price increases as he visited
some supermarkets in Yerevan on Thursday amid apparent stabilization
of the dollar-dram exchange rate.
“If the dollar exchange rate changes by 10-15 percent a product
cannot become 30 percent more expensive,” Abrahamyan told media at
one of the stores. “I am sure that people have realized that they
can’t play such games with our people.”
“People must not be tempted. They must not use such situations to
get more money from our people,” the prime minister stressed.
The dram that hit its historic low of nearly 600 on Wednesday began
to rally strongly the following day, reaching the level of 460-480
at most exchange offices by the end of the day.
Premier Abrahamyan suggested that the “shock is over”. “Yesterday the
dollar was overrated and the dram was underrated. But in the next
two days everything will be settled,” he stressed, adding that the
final market adjustment of the exchange rate is likely in the next
week or so.
The turmoil in the currency market observed in Armenia since Monday
raised negative expectations among economic agents some of whom
suspended trade or raised prices in anticipation of hard currency
shortages.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Prime Minister Abrahamyan gave
assurances that the Armenian banking system has the necessary financial
resources to deal with such situations.
ARFD: THE TURKISH-AZERBAIJANI TANDEM HAS SHARPLY ACTIVATED AT THE WORLD ARENA
by Tatevik Shahunyan
ARMINFO
Friday, December 19, 13:30
The Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem has sharply activated at the world
arena for the last period of time. From now on, the Armenian lobby is
coming across counteraction of the strong Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem,
a representative of the ARF “Dashnaktiutyun”, Hrant Margaryan, said
during the event in Aleppo dedicated to the 124th anniversary of
the ARFD.
At the same time, he emphasized that the consolidated presentation of
the two Armenian republics to the world on the threshold of the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey is enough to
reach success. He also added the Armenian people from the task of
recognition of the Armenian genocide made a step towards demanding
compensation for the consequences of the crime against humanity. In
this context, it is necessary to revise the tactics of the Armenian
Diaspora and Armenia, and jointly draw out new steps in this direction.
DEAD SOLDIER’S PARENTS DEMAND OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAL VERDICT SENT ONE MONTH LATE
12.19.2014 14:18 epress.am
The parents of military conscript Arman Muradyan, who served in NKR and
died in 2013 (official cause of death suicide), received a notice for
the verdict of their son’s case one month after it was released and
consequently do not have the opportunity to appeal, said Muradyan’s
family representative Tigran Muradyan in an interview with Epress.am.
According to him, the verdict was not only handed out without the
presence of the victim’s legal successors, but was also not sent
to them.
After being informed of the court’s verdict, the conscript’s father
Hovsep Muradyan asked the court to send him the verdict, which the
court subsequently did.
“We received the verdict on the same day as the deadline to appeal the
verdict. Now we’ve appealed to the court to extend the deadline. If
the court does not accept the appeal, then it signifies that the
verdict was only for the defendant and the plaintiff has no right
whatsoever to appeal the verdict,” said Tigran Muradyan.
Recall, that the parents of NKR military conscript Arman Muradyan
demanded that their son’s case be transferred to Armenia from the
capital of the unrecognized Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Stepanakert.
This demand was rejected.
Hovsep Muradyan does not believe the preliminary investigation’s stance
on his son’s suicide, which the military expert Ruben Martirosyan also
rejects. Note, that according to the verdict, major Emil Avetisyan
was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment for violent actions against a
commander, abuse of powers, and insulting a serviceman.
CONFLICT MATURING IN FIEOLOTOVO VILLAGE CONNECTED WITH FIEOLOTOVO GOLD MINING
15:34 December 18, 2014
EcoLur
Pressures are exercised on the residents of Fieolotovo village so as
the villagers give their consent to Fieolotovo gold mining project:
an alarm signal has been posted on Facebook social network. By the
way, the mine is located only in a distance of 300 meters from the
houses in the village.
Reminder: Fieoletovo gold mining project is planned to be implemented
by “GradeRedMet” LLC. The project is still undergoing the environmental
expertise stage. The public hearings of this project will be held on
23 December at 23/100 Sundukyan Street, Yerevan.
Under the project, Fioletovo gold mine demonstration is located in
the administrative area of Fioletovo community, Lori Region. The
gold concentration in the mines varies from 2.5-5.5 g/ton. The open
pit will occupy an area of 5.2 ha. The landfill site will be located
in a distance of 1.3 km from the open pit, its capacity is about 3
million cubic meters, total area – around 4 ha.
The mine will be developed for 5 years, it will annually mine 37,000
tons of ore. The ore will be transferred either to Armanis or Ararat
dressing factory. Project affected communities are three ones:
Fioletovo (2.7 km far from the mine), Margahovit (11.1 km far from
the mine) and Lermontovo (7 km far from the mine).
It should be mentioned that the mass media connects the name of “Grade
Redmet” LLC with ex Nature Protection Minister Vardan Ayvazyan, who
currently holds the office of the Chairman of the Standing Committee
on Economic Issues of the National Assembly.