Author: Badalian Vardan

SWEDISH COMPANY OFFERS ARMENIA COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM TO IMPROVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

June 13, 2014 | 18:58

YEREVAN. – Armenian Education Minister Armen Ashotyan on Friday
received a delegation of Sweden’s Education First company.

Michael Timone briefed Ashotyan on company’s mission, adding that
Education First offers a range of educational programs, especially
directed on English training.

The Swedish side offers a comprehensive program to improve the
English language proficiency of students and teachers, and is ready
to implement a training program for teachers of English language
in Armenia.

The Minister expressed Armenian side’s interest in the proposal,
adding that project financing and implementation possibilities will
be discussed after the Ministry studies proposals.

Many countries, including former Soviet states, particularly Ukraine,
Russia and Kazakhstan, are involved in similar language training
programs.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

“SMERCH” MISSILE SYSTEMS IN NAKHCHIVAN CAN DESTROY ANY TARGET IN ARMENIA

Thu 12 June 2014 12:38 GMT | 13:38 Local Time

Armenian defense minister has repeatedly made threatening speeches
on Azerbaijan, but these are all nothing more than rhetoric.

His opinions should be considered a statement addressed to the internal
audience and the Armenian community”.

Spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, Lieutenant-Colonel Vagif
Dargahli told APA while commenting on the speech made by Armenian
Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan at the parliament yesterday.

Dargahli noted that Ohanyan blames Azerbaijan for all existing problems
in Armenia, introduces the Armenian Armed Forces as a structure that
is capable of taking all preventive measures and offers to withdraw
snipers from the contact line, build mutual trust between the parties,
take measures against the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and launch a
counterattack if necessary: “The Armenian side, as always, tries to
shift the blame on Azerbaijan by organizing various provocations and
in order to conceal his actions appeals to international organizations
as a victim. However, Armenia, breaking international laws, is still
keeping our territories under occupation, constantly violating the
ceasefire, trying to make reconnaissance-subversive attacks on the
front line, firing at our soldiers and civilians and harming civilian
objects and agricultural areas. One of the main objectives of the
Armenian provocation is Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, an integral
part of Azerbaijan”.

The official recalled that according to the Decree signed by Supreme
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Ilham Aliyev
on December 18, 2013 on strengthening the defense capability of
Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, increasing the combat capability of
the Armed Forces’ units, creating Nakhchivan Army Special Forces in
order to improve the central management, presenting military flags
to military units, strengthening their material-technical bases and
supplying with arms and ammunition, most modern combat equipment,
aviation and artillery units clearly prove that how much Azerbaijan
attaches importance to this region from the strategic point of view.

“The Azerbaijani Armed Forces have been supplied with modern weapons
with high accuracy and destroying capacity, combat and transport
helicopters, modern air-defense equipment, armored vehicles, tanks
and artillery units. It is enough only to note that “Smerch” missile
volley-fire systems in Nakhchivan are capable of destroying any target
on the territory of Armenia”, he said.

Dargahli noted that the fighting spirit and will, logistical support
and combat capability of the staff of the units and formations of
the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic allow
preventing enemy’s attempt and taking response measures.

THEY CRITICIZE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT BUT ACCEPTED ITS EXECUTION OF THE BUDGET: MP

06.13.2014 16:02 epress.am

The government’s 2013 budget performance report and voting on it
are mere formalities because the government, which was supposed to
implement the budget performance, resigned, head of the Heritage Party
parliamentary faction Ruben Hakobyan (pictured) told reporters today.

He remarked that during the 2013 budget performance report,
representatives of the ruling authorities didn’t defend the previous
government, but the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK),
nevertheless, voted in favor of the report.

On the HHK’s response to the four non-ruling parties’ list of
12 demands, Hakobyan said: “The authorities declare what a great
opposition we have, what a constructive opposition we have. It’s
good that they say that, but I don’t believe that the authorities
will exercise political will in implementing the opposition’s demands.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) MP Aghvan Vardanyan,
in turn, said the authorities, by saying that there are differences
among the four non-ruling parties, are “reinventing the wheel.”

“If it interests [Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Eduard] Sharmazanov,
I can mention not 12 but 15 issues on which we have differences. Let
them not search for differences in the ‘quartet’. Rather, those issues
on which we agree, we cooperate quite successfully,” he said.

“WHOSE SKIRT WERE YOU BEHIND WHEN WE WERE FIGHTING?” KARABAKH WAR VETERANS ASK JUDGE

06.13.2014 17:11 epress.am

During today’s trial in the case of Karabakh War veteran Volodya
Avetisyan, the prosecutor, reading out loud Avetisyan’s phone bill, had
difficulty reading one of the words: Presiding Judge Levon Avetisyan,
who until then had asked for attendees to be silent in court and not
disrupt the court process, prompted the prosecutor on what word he was
supposed to read, reports the Epress.am correspondent in the courtroom.

After the judge’s prompting, some of the war veterans in the courtroom
chuckled and began to whisper among themselves, leading the judge to
interrupt the trial and ask who was laughing. Not receiving a reply
from the gallery, the judge said: “You cannot hide behind a woman’s
skirt. You are men — tell me, who laughed.”

Again, there was no reply, and the judge continued to make similar
statements addressed to the war veterans.

Finally, one of the war veterans addressing the judge, said: “Whose
skirt were you behind when we were fighting at war?”

After the incident, some of the war veterans left the room. The
Epress.am correspondent reported that the judge first asked those
present to leave the room, then he himself left.

Those present believe the judge should apologize; otherwise, they
will appeal to the Council of Justice, saying that the judge does
not adhere to the position he holds and ask for his recusal.

Currently, those attending today’s trial are waiting for the judge’s
decision.

Military operations against terrorists continue, Army recaptures key
points in Kassab

Jun 14, 2014

Aleppo, (SANA) The Army resumed Saturday its national duty in hunting
armed terrorist groups, having sweeping operations against terrorists
in different areas.

Army units killed terrorists, mostly non-Syrians, from the so-called
“Islam Army” and “Al-Baraa Brigade”, and destroyed their weaponry and
ammos in a string of operations in Damascus countryside.

SANA field reporter said an army unit pounded terrorists’ dens to the
east of Maysaloun roundabout, in the northeast of the Teaschers’ Tower
and near the Schools’ Complex in Jobar, with terrorists from Jabhat
al-Nusra and the Islam Army getting killed and their weapons
destroyed.

Moreover, army units carried out operations in al-Shifounieh farms and
Tal Kerdi in Douma, killing several non-Syrian terrorists, among them
Abdul-Kader al-Rifai, a Jordanian, and the terrorists Jihad Mahrat and
Muhannad Barghouth.

In the eastern and northern farms of al-Mliha town, terrorists were
killed and others wounded from the so-called “Al-Baraa Brigade”.
Misbah Darwish, leader of a terrorist group, was among the dead
terrorists. Another group along with its leader, Diaa Ali Taha, from
the so-called “Al-Ghouta Shield Brigade” was eliminated.

Meanwhile, army units pummeled terrorists’ dens in Asal al-Ward farms
and killed 15 terrorists in the process, destroying their weapons and
ammos.

Rankous town, that faced yesterday an attempt to have the situation in
it disturbed after an armed terrorist group tried to sneak into the
town, regained its former stability, with its locals turning out to
welcome the Syrian army.

A military source said that the army units thwarted a terrorist
group’s infiltration attempt into secure areas in Salaheddin and
al-A’zamiyah in Aleppo, leaving a number of terrorists killed and
wounded.

The source told SANA that terrorists tried to infiltrate into safe
neighborhoods of Salaheddin and al-A’zamiyah but the army units have
thwarted the attempt and killed and wounded many terrorists.

The army has also targeted terrorists in the towns and villages of
al-Lairamoun, Anadan, Hreitan, al-Atareb, Handarat, Tal Rifaat and on
Ritan-Maier axis in the suburbs of Aleppo and in the neighborhoods of
Hanano, al-Haidariyah and Bani Zaid.

The army units also destroyed vehicles equipped with heavy machineguns
and mortars.

A military source said that units of the army and armed forces have
tightened control over the area surrounding SyriaTel tower in
al-Nab’ain area in Kassab, Lattakia countryside.

Many terrorists, mostly non-Syrians, got killed in the operation.

In Daraa, the army units thwarted a terrorist group’s infiltration
attempt from al-Bajabjeh towards north technical school in al-Mansheya
district in Daraa al-Balad and eliminated a number of terrorists and
injured others.

Two infiltration attempts into safe areas in Homs countryside were
also thwarted.

The authorities in Palmyra dismantled five explosive devices planted
by terrorists on the Baghdad-Homs road. The devices weighed between 12
and 45 kilograms, and some of them were rigged for remote detonation.

Meanwhile, a number of terrorists were killed of a car bomb they were
preparing at a market in Deir Ezzor.

A source told SANA the explosion of the car led to the killing and
injuring of several terrorists and weapon traders inside a market in
Dir Ezzor.

Army units killed and wounded terrorists and destroyed their weapons
in several areas in Idleb countryside.

A military source told SANA that army units killed large numbers of
terrorists and wounded several others after pounding their handouts in
the villages of al-Hamadaniyeen, Nahleh, al-Rouje Plain, Maarazav,
al-Arbaiyeen Mountain, Maarbleed and south of al-Bouiti in Idleb
countryside.

Vehicles equipped with heavy machineguns were destroyed in the operations.

Army recaptures key points in Kassab

Army units have established full control over al-Nab’ain area and
al-Samra crossroads in Kassab in Lattakia northern countryside, said a
military source.

Large numbers of terrorists were killed in the operation that saw
control re-established in al-Nab’ain area and al-Samra crossroads, one
day after control was tightened on key military points in the area.

Battles have been raging in Kassab area in Lattakia northern
countryside since terrorists, backed by Turkey’s Prime Minster Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, overran the area late last March.

Kassab has a predominately Armenian population which suffered gruesome
crimes in the wake of the terrorists’ attack on the town.

Thomas de Wall: Resumption of war possible, but not likely

15:12 14.06.2014

Gita Elibekyan
Public Radio of Armenia
Tbilisi

There is a possibility of resumption of war, although a small one,
Thomas de Waal, a senior associate for the Caucasus at the Carnegie
Endowment, told Public Radio of Armenia. He added, however, that
starting a war will be a great risk for Azerbaijan. The British
experts is on a visit to Tbilisi now to present the Russian edition of
his republished book titled “Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan
Through Peace and War.”

The book presents the details of the Karabakh conflict and its
consequences. Part contemporary history, part travel book, part
political analysis, the book is based on six months traveling through
the South Caucasus, more than 120 original interviews in the region,
Moscow, and Washington, as well as unique archive materials.

Ten years after the book was first published, the author says much has
changed, but what’s the most important is that the conflict has not
been solved.

“I think the conflict will be solved, when the parties reach the
psychological point to understand that they should work together, not
against each other, towards the common goal of having a new and
peaceful Caucasus. But the moment has not come yet,” Thomas de Waal
said.

In the new publication the author has added the changes in Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Artsakh over the past years.

“The probably of resumption of war is small, but it’s still there. The
only party that could start war is Azerbaijan, but it’s a big risk. In
a few days it will lose everything it has created over years,” the
expert said.

Upper Lars-Kazbek highway now open

14:37 14.06.2014

The Upper Lars-Kazbek highway is now open for traffic, Spokesman for
the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tigran Balayan said in a
Twitter post.

The road had been closed since May 17 because of a major landslide.

Several lines crossed out in POW Hakob Injighulyan’s letters to family

13:21 14/06/2014 >> SOCIETY

Hakob Injighulyan, Armenian POW being held in Azerbaijan, has recently
written letters to his family members: father, mother, brother and
sister.

“As in his previous letters, he wrote that he is fine and has no
problems and that his health is ok,” Hakob Injighulyan’s brother,
Harut, told Panorama.am.

However, several lines are crossed out in Injighulyan’s letters to his
mother and brother. In Harut Injighulyan’s words, representatives of
the ICRC Baku Office have crossed out those lines with an explanation
that Hakob wrote such things that his parents should not know.

Hakob Injighulyan, an Armenian citizen and an army conscript, crossed
the Azeri border and was subsequently captured by Azeri soldiers on
the night of August 7-8, 2013.

Source: Panorama.am

KURDISTAN
Irak : après le choc jihadiste, la colère des déplacés de Mossoul contre Maliki

A 50 km de Mossoul, la grande ville du nord de l’Irak conquise mardi
par des jihadistes sunnites, des milliers de déplacés attendent sous
un soleil de plomb de passer au Kurdistan autonome, vitupérant contre
le Premier ministre irakien Nouri al-Maliki.

Un demi-million d’habitants ont été poussés à l’exode après la prise
spectaculaire mardi par les combattants de l’Etat islamique en Irak et
au Levant (EIIL) de la deuxième ville d’Irak, face à un pouvoir
central impuissant et une armée en déroute.

C’est devant un barrage kurde à une quarantaine de kilomètres d’Erbil
que se morfondent depuis le matin des files interminables d’hommes,
femmes et enfants, pour obtenir un permis de séjour dans la capitale
de la région autonome du Kurdistan irakien.

De nombreux hommes et femmes portent leurs enfants, ou de petits sacs
dans lesquels ils ont jeté des vêtements ou des couvertures qu’ils ont
pu emporter à la hte. Certains ont mis quelques effets sur des
poussettes qu’ils tirent péniblement sous une chaleur écrasante.

Fatigués, ces déplacés ne décolèrent pas et lchent parfois des
insultes à l’encontre de M. Maliki, un chiite, accusé d’incompétence
et d’hostilité envers la population sunnite, majoritaire à Mossoul
mais minoritaire dans le pays.

‘Peur des massacres’ –

“Venez nous filmer, pour que le monde entier voie dans quel état nous
a réduit Maliki !”, s’écrie un groupe de femmes à l’adresse des
journalistes présents.

Arrivée avec sa famille, Zahra Chérif, 39 ans, explique avoir “quitté
la ville par peur des massacres si l’armée lance un assaut sur la
ville” pour la reprendre à l’EIIL, un groupe inspiré mais pas affilié
à Al-Qaïda.

“On a peur des conséquences de cette invasion car si l’armée entre,
elle pourrait se venger des habitants”, dit-elle, un sentiment partagé
par de nombreux déplacés.

Depuis la chute de Saddam Hussein, un sunnite, à la suite de
l’invasion américaine en 2003, cette communauté s’estime marginalisée
et maltraitée par les autorités dominées par les chiites.

L’EIIL a ainsi pu bénéficier d’un appui au sein de la population et
des tribus locales dans les régions sunnites, comme dans la ville de
Fallouja, sous contrôle de ce puissant groupe ultra-radical depuis le
début de l’année.

Mossoul, majoritairement arabe sunnite avec des minorités chrétienne
et kurde notamment, a été un bastion de la rébellion contre les forces
américaines. C’est dans cette ville que Saddam Hussein a recruté les
cadres de son armée et des services de renseignements.

Les déplacés de Mossoul ont peur de subir le même sort que Fallouja,
bombardée en permanence par l’armée qui tente de la reprendre.

Dans l’immédiat, la population a fui surtout les pénuries à Mossoul,
secouée par les combats depuis une dizaine de jours.

‘Pas d’hôpitaux, pas de services’ –

“Il n’y a plus d’hôpitaux, plus de services médicaux”, se lamente
Zahra. A côté, des volontaires distribuent eau et nourriture aux
familles.

Au barrage, et en vue d’empêcher d’éventuels insurgés de se faufiler
parmi les déplacés, les services de sécurité kurdes lourdement armés
promènent leur chiens policiers parmi la foule tandis que des agents
de la circulation tentent de gérer le flot de voitures.

Les déplacés ne semblent pas très enclins à critiquer l’EIIL, qui est
aidé d’autres groupes jihadistes sunnites.

Abou Ahmad, 60 ans, affirme avoir vu “les combattants de l’EIIL dans
les rues de Mossoul”. “Nous les avons vu ce matin et ils ne nous ont
rien fait”.

“Des habitants ont formé des +comités de défense populaires+ pour
protéger les banques et les btiments gouvernementaux”, a-t-il ajouté,
assurant que (…) les actes de vandalisme et les incendies ont touché
uniquement les positions militaires”.

Selon lui, avant l’arrivée de l’EIIL, “la population se sentait visée
(par les autorités) aux points de contrôle, avec des mesures
draconiennes de sécurité et des arrestations”.

Quant à Ismaïl Ahmad, 50 ans, arrivé ce matin, il assure : “Nous
reviendrons après le rétablissement de l’eau et de l’électricité”.

samedi 14 juin 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

ARMENIE
L’Union Douanière et les impôts

Si l’Arménie entre dans l’Union douanière d’environ 900 biens de
première importance maintiendront leur niveau actuel d’imposition, en
attendant quelques questions techniques encore en discussion a annoncé
le ministère de l’économie.

Après plus de neuf mois de discussions, les responsables arméniens ont
pu recevoir des compromis de l’UD pour presque la totalité des
marchandises précédemment sélectionnés.

> a déclaré le vice-ministre de
l’Economie Garegin Melkonian.

Selon le ministère de l’Economie, l’une des plus grandes réalisations
est le fait que, même après avoir rejoint l’UD les voitures auront la
même taxe à l’importation.

Cette question a été une cause de larges débats publics car les
entreprises d’importation d’automobiles craignaient une augmentation
de la taxe provoquée par l’adhésion à l’UD.

> a déclaré Melkonian.

Le président arménien Serge Sarkissian a déclaré que son pays sera
préparé pour rejoindre l’Union économique eurasienne (UEE) le 15 Juin
alors que le président Noursoultan Nazarbaïev a mentionné qu’il serait
préférable de se tourner vers l’étape finale de l’adhésion à partir du
1er Juillet .

Une des questions toujours en discussion est de savoir si la diaspora
arménienne sera autorisé à poursuivre à apporter des fonds en Arménie
sans être imposé dessus ce que la loi permet actuellement.

Par Sara Khojoyan

ArmeniaNow

samedi 14 juin 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com